Qualcomm facing €580,000 daily fine after losing antitrust appeal against European Commission

Qualcomm could face punishment in long-running antitrust case if it doesn't deliver the data demanded by the European Commission

Qualcomm could be facing a daily fine of up to €580,000 (about £515,000) after losing its appeal with the European Commission in an antitrust case involving a complaint from a British rival that has been running for seven years.

The company was accused of using anti-competitive methods to force British phone software maker Icera out of the market.

Qualcomm had appealed against the penalty, arguing that the Commission's request for it to hand over more information related to the Icera case would involve an extensive amount of work and would cost it $3.45m.

Court President Marc Jaeger dismissed the firm's appeal last week, ruling: "The applicant does not claim that its financial viability would be at risk or that its market share could be affected substantially.

"Furthermore, it does not give any explanation as to why it would be impossible to seek compensation for the alleged financial costs it would suffer by answering the questions."

Seperately, Qualcomm CEO Steve Mollenkopf has said he expects the company's ongoing patent squabble with Apple to be settled out of court.

According to Fortune, Mollenkopf said: "Those things tend to get resolved out of court and there's no reason why I wouldn't expect that to be the case here."

That hasn't stopped the company filing a separate lawsuit against the firm in Munich and Mannheim, where it is seeking a ban on the imports of some iPhone models.

In a statement sent to V3 on Wednesday, Don Rosberg, general counsel of Qualcomm, said: "Qualcomm has filed patent-infringement lawsuits in Munich and Mannheim seeking damages and injunctive relief for iPhones imported into or sold in Germany because Apple continues to use Qualcomm's technology while refusing to pay for it.

"The relief we seek includes enjoinment of Apple's sale and importation of the latest iPhones in Germany. Qualcomm's inventions are at the heart of every iPhone and extend well beyond modem technologies and cellular standards.

"The patents we are asserting in Munich and Mannheim represent two technologies important to iPhone functions, but they are not standards-essential patents and are not subject to FRAND [rair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory] licensing obligations."