蘋果和三星粉絲有望在 Epic Chip 訴訟中贏得 4.8 億英鎊！

Nearly 30 million people in the UK who bought Apple or Samsung smartphones between 2015 and 2024 could be eligible for a payout of about £17 per phone, if a consumer group called Which? wins its case against the American tech company Qualcomm. The case is being heard at the Competition Appeal Tribunal in London and is expected to last five weeks. Which? claims that Qualcomm forced Apple and Samsung to pay higher prices and licensing fees for important phone parts, which made the phones more expensive for customers.

The trial will look at whether Qualcomm had too much control over the market and if it used that power unfairly. If Which? wins, there will be a second part of the case to decide if Qualcomm should pay £480 million to be shared among the estimated 29 million people who bought affected phones. However, it could take years before any money is actually paid out. Lisa Webb, a senior lawyer at Which? , said that consumers do not need to do anything to get their money. If Which? wins, they will make sure the money is given to the people who are owed it.

The case covers Apple and Samsung smartphones bought between 1 October 2015 and 9 January 2024. Which? estimates that the payout would be around £17 for each phone. Qualcomm has said that the case has no basis and denies any wrongdoing. There is a similar case against Qualcomm happening in Canada, and the company has faced accusations of anti-competitive behavior before. In the United States, the Federal Trade Commission sued Qualcomm in 2017 for unfair practices, but the case was dismissed in 2020.

Anabel Hoult, the chief executive of Which? , said that this trial is a big moment because it shows that consumers, with the help of groups like Which? , can challenge large companies if they misuse their power. Qualcomm is one of the biggest makers of smartphone chips in the world, and this case could have a big impact on how tech companies do business in the future. If Which? is successful, it could mean that millions of people in the UK get some money back for their phones, and it could also encourage other consumer groups to take action against big companies that they believe are acting unfairly.