Qualcomm has paid €1.34 billion in bonds to uphold and immediately enforce a patent dispute in Germany which ended in Qualcomm"s favor. The original decision was made on the 20th of December by the Munich court and revolved around patented power-saving technologies.
Apple will have to recall the iPhone 7 and 8 from resellers in Germany, although Reuters reported that at least one retailer is still selling the infringing products. The bond payment made by Qualcomm means that the ban is immediately put into effect but also as Apple is seeking to appeal the decision, should the decision be overturned, the payment will be used to cover damages for loss of sales Apple may have incurred.
Whilst both Apple and Qualcomm are no strangers to litigation, it seems as though Qualcomm, having been on the receiving end of some major decisions regarding FRAND patents, is now upping the ante, particularly against Apple.
Qualcomm have claimed that Apple owes it $7 billion in unpaid royalties and that Apple may have shared Qualcomm"s trade secrets with Intel. Intel, on the other hand, have claimed that Qualcomm is stifling competition through patent litigation. Apple has been and will likely continue to use Intel modems exclusively for its iPhones and I doubt the litigation involving the two tech behemoths will end anytime soon.
Source: Qualcomm