Qualcomm claims Apple made threats, lied to regulators to cover up inferior parts usage in smartphones

Qualcomm Inc has accused US tech giant Apple Inc of lying to regulators to divert the attention of investigators probing the chipmaker, and threatening it to cover up the use of inferior parts in some iPhones. 

The world’s largest maker of phone semiconductors responded to a January lawsuit from Apple with counterclaims for damages late Monday, alleging the iPhone maker breached contractual pledges, mischaracterized their agreements and misrepresented facts.  

“We were really stunned by some of the things that they included in their suit,” said Qualcomm General Counsel Don Rosenberg,. “This is our attempt to respond to some disturbing elements in their complaint.” 

According to Qualcomm, Apple is behind regulatory investigations of its business practices worldwide. Cupertino, California-based Apple has lobbied with “false and misleading statements to induce regulators to take action against us because it would be in their commercial interests,” Rosenberg said. 

At the heart of the worsening standoff is a commercial dispute over how much Qualcomm is entitled to charge phone makers to use its patented technology, whether or not they use its chips. The San Diego, California-based company gets the majority of its profit from licensing tech.