, Columnist
The Pain (and Gain) of Qualcomm's Market Power
Government watchdogs are troublesome, but they help when it comes to thwarting a takeover.
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Qualcomm Inc. has been stung by governments so often that the fines and scolding barely leave a mark anymore. Now, though, Qualcomm’s government troubles come with a silver lining.
The chipmaker’s latest regulatory run-in was with the European Union’s antitrust body, which fined Qualcomm 997 million euros ($1.2 billion) for paying one of its customers, Apple Inc., to agree to use only Qualcomm’s chips in its iPhones and iPads from 2011 to 2016. The EU antitrust authority said Qualcomm’s arrangement amounted to an improper abuse of market power. Qualcomm said it disagreed with the EU decision and planned to appeal.