A UK competition tribunal cleared consumer group Which? to press on with a class action suit against Qualcomm for claims users suffered inflated smartphone prices due to the US company’s licensing fees, a case the chip giant slammed as baseless.

The group claims consumers buying Samsung and Apple smartphones since 2015 lost out due to Qualcomm royalty policies it believes breach competition rules. In a news article published by Which? in 2021, it estimated more than £480 million could be recouped.

A judgement issued by the UK Competition Appeal Tribunal yesterday (17 May) cleared the organisation to move ahead with the so-called Collecting Proceeding Order.

Qualcomm fought against the case going ahead and in a statement claimed it had already won a similar claim in the US.

“We disagree with today’s ruling, though it is strictly procedural and in no way supportive of the plaintiff’s meritless assertions,” the chip company added.

“The claims here recycle allegations in an old case brought by the Federal Trade Commission in the US which Qualcomm won. The theories seen here were discredited two years ago by a unanimous panel of judges at the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in the US”.