Qualcomm and Apple have renewed their global patent licensing agreement, extending an agreement that was set to expire in 2027. The renewed agreement will take effect next year, according to the website “9to5mac”.

A tense relationship between Apple and Qualcomm

The two companies, which were once major business partners, entered into a wide-ranging legal battle in 2017 over Qualcomm’s patent licensing practices and royalty payments. Apple filed a lawsuit against Qualcomm in an American federal court at the beginning of 2017, challenging Qualcomm’s patent licensing practices and demanding the return of nearly $1 billion in royalties that Apple claimed Qualcomm had illegally withheld.

The lawsuit came just three days after the Federal Trade Commission filed its own lawsuit against Qualcomm, accusing it of engaging in anti-competitive patent licensing practices.

The lawsuit specifically pointed to Qualcomm’s dealings with Apple, claiming that the company offered billions of dollars in conditional incentives for Apple to exclusively use Qualcomm modems chips in new iPhones and iPads.

A few months later, Qualcomm filed a counterclaim against Apple, accusing it of breaching agreements and interfering with its relationships with iPhone and iPad manufacturers. The dispute ended in 2019 when Apple and Qualcomm agreed to drop all mutual lawsuits worldwide.

As part of the settlement, Apple paid an undisclosed amount to Qualcomm, which contributed, among other things, to resolving a dispute over royalty payments that Apple had withheld during the legal battle. The two companies also concluded a global six-year patent license agreement and a separate multi-year supply agreement for processing chips.

The licensing agreement came into effect on April 1, 2019, and included an option for Apple to extend it by another two years. Apple eventually exercised that option, extending the agreement until March 2027. Today, Qualcomm announced that the two companies have renewed the agreement once again, with the new agreement coming into effect on April 1, 2027.

Apple and Qualcomm extend patent license agreement
 

The full statement reads: “Qualcomm today announced the renewal of its global patent licensing agreement with Apple, effective as of April 1, 2027.”

John Hannah, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Qualcomm Technologies Licensing (QTL), said: “We are pleased to extend our license agreement with Apple.” The company did not disclose the duration for which the renewed agreement will be in effect. Apple has yet to comment on this renewal.

It should be noted that today’s announcement has nothing to do with Apple's use of Qualcomm modems in iPhones, a topic that has been the subject of much debate recently. Apple used Qualcomm's modem in the American version of the iPhone 18 Pro Max, while relying on its own C2 modem in other markets.

Apple has not officially commented on its future plans regarding modems, but expectations suggest that the company will eventually completely abandon the use of Qualcomm modems.