Yesterday Qualcomm introduced the Snapdragon X55 second generation 5G modem. Their press release stated that "Qualcomm Technologies is spearheading the first wave of 5G launches with our first generation 5G mobile platform. With significant evolution in capabilities and performance, our second generation commercial 5G modem is a true testament to the maturity and leadership of our 5G technology." The modem will be used in smartphones, Always Connected PCs, extended reality devices and more.   

Building on their momentum, desperate Qualcomm who recently lost another round of patent infringement cases against Apple in Germany, is reportedly now urging U.S. trade regulators to reverse a judge’s ruling and ban the import of some Apple Inc iPhones in a long-running patent fight between the two companies.

Reuters is report that "Qualcomm is seeking the ban in hopes of dealing Apple a blow before the two begin a major trial in mid-April in San Diego over Qualcomm’s patent licensing practices. Qualcomm has sought to apply pressure to Apple with smaller legal challenges ahead of that trial and has won partial iPhone sales bans in China and Germany against Apple, forcing the iPhone maker to ship only phones with Qualcomm chips to some markets.

Any possible ban on iPhone imports to the United States could be short-lived because Apple last week for the first time disclosed that it has found a software fix to avoid infringing on one of Qualcomm’s patents. Apple asked regulators to give it as much as six months to prove that the fix works.

Qualcomm brought a case against Apple at the U.S International Trade Commission in 2017 alleging that some iPhones violated Qualcomm patents to help smart phones run well without draining their batteries. Qualcomm asked for an import ban on some older iPhone models containing Intel Corp chips." For more on this read the full Reuters report here.

Last week Florian Mueller of FOSS Patents mocked Qualcomm's US International Trade Commission lawsuit against Apple by showing that one by one the patents that Apple supposedly infringed proved worthless.

Going into the Mobile World Congress smartphone event in Barcelona next week, Qualcomm wants to strut in with their new 5G modem, show the world how Android phones will lead the 5G revolution with their technology leading the way and making Apple look weak and irrelevant.

That's what this latest PR stunt is really all about. Qualcomm's legal team knows that the ITC will not ban iPhones in the U.S. until the Qualcomm-Apple trial ends sometime in April.

About Making Comments on our Site: Patently Apple reserves the right to post, dismiss or edit any comments. Those using abusive language or negative behavior will result in being blacklisted on Disqus