Qualcomm seeks ban on sales of iPhone in China

Chipmaker, Qualcomm has filed lawsuits in China, seeking to halt the manufacture and sale of Apple Inc’s iPhones in the country.

Qualcomm filed the suits in a Beijing Intellectual Property Court, claiming patent infringement and is seeking injunctive relief, a company spokeswoman confirmed on Friday, but did not provide further details.

Qualcomm’s suits are based on three non-standard essential patents, it said. They cover power management and a touch-screen technology called Force Touch that Apple uses in current iPhones, Qualcomm said.

The inventions “are a few examples of the many Qualcomm technologies that Apple uses to improve its devices and increase its profits,” Christine Trimble, a company spokeswoman said “Apple employs technologies invented by Qualcomm without paying for them.”

Apple’s shares were marginally up, while Qualcomm shares were marginally down in late-afternoon trading.

The iPhone maker has always been willing to pay fair and reasonable rates for the patents it uses.

Apple however said the claim has no merit. “In our many years of ongoing negotiations with Qualcomm, these patents have never been discussed,” Apple spokesman Josh Rosenstock said. “Like their other courtroom maneuvers, we believe this latest legal effort will fail.”