Apple sues Qualcomm in China IP court

Apple said Wednesday it has filed two lawsuits against Qualcomm in China, extending a legal battle with its longtime chip supplier into the world’s biggest market for smartphones, The Wall Street Journal reports. The suits, which Apple said it filed on Monday in Beijing’s Intellectual Property Court, make claims similar to those in a US lawsuit the iPhone maker filed last week targeting the way Qualcomm sells proprietary technology that is critical for smartphones. One of the China suits claims Qualcomm has violated China’s antimonopoly law; the other relates to Qualcomm’s licensing practices, which Apple says are unfair and unreasonable. Apple said it is seeking 1 billion yuan ($145 million) in damages in the antimonopoly suit. Greg Dovel, an intellectual property attorney with Dovel & Luner LLP, said Apple’s decision to file suit in China underscores that market’s growing significance in patent cases.