Qualcomm hit with another massive antitrust fine
The chipmaker is reportedly fined $773 million in Taiwan, which joins China, South Korea, Europe and the US in going after Qualcomm over antitrust issues.
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More trouble for Qualcomm, this time in Taiwan.
Taiwan is the latest country to slap an antitrust fine on Qualcomm, the world's largest provider of chips for phones and other mobile devices.
The island nation's Fair Trade Commission said Wednesday that it had fined the US-based company $773 million, Bloomberg reported.
Qualcomm has a monopoly on patents for certain crucial mobile phone technologies, and it violated local laws by refusing to license that tech to companies that wouldn't play by its pricing rules, Taiwan's FTC said, according to Bloomberg.
Qualcomm said it disagrees with the decision and plans to file an appeal.
The Taiwanese move is the latest in a string of actions worldwide against Qualcomm. Last month, the chipmaker filed a second appeal in South Korea over an order from that country's FTC that resulted in an $850 million fine. In Europe, Qualcomm faces the specter of a $669,000-a-day penalty after losing a July appeal. And in the US, the company failed in its June bid to have a federal judge toss out an FTC antitrust lawsuit against it. The company also suffered a nearly $1 billion antitrust fine in China, back in 2015.
First published Oct. 11, 11:46 a.m. PT.
Update, 2:05 p.m.: Adds that Qualcomm plans to appeal.