the.com/qualcomm patents
the toll booth on nearly every phone call made on earth.
means a vast portfolio of standard-essential patents covering cdma and 3g/4g/5g wireless tech that qualcomm licenses to nearly every phone maker for a cut of the device price.
from born from qualcomm's 1980s bet on cdma, a rejected military spread-spectrum technique it turned into the backbone of mobile networks, then patented so thoroughly that using cellular tech without paying them became nearly impossible.
licensing modelcharges a percent of the whole phone's price
patent counttens of thousands of patents worldwide
ftc lawsuitus regulators sued calling it an illegal monopoly
apple settlementapple paid billions to end a patent war
for instance
apple v qualcomm — 2019 settlement reportedly worth 4.5 billion dollars
ftc v qualcomm — 2019 ruling against qualcomm, later overturned on appeal
nokia disputes — early 2000s royalty fights over cdma licensing terms
china ndrc fine — 2015 fine of 975 million dollars for overcharging