Qualcomm €1bn fine for buying Apple loyalty

Qualcomm spent billions of dollars buying Apple’s loyalty.

Qualcomm spent billions of dollars buying Apple’s loyalty. It must now shell out €997m in fines after the EU’s antitrust arm, led by Commissioner Margrethe Vestager, said the payments were an illegal ploy to ensure only its chips were used in iPhones and iPads, writes Aoife White. 

Apple was cornered by Qualcomm with a 2011 deal that offered “significant” sums and rebates if it only bought the company’s chips, Ms Vestager said.