Apple has rejected Qualcomm's technology in public, while privately renting it

Apple has publicly rejected Qualcomm's technology during a two-year legal battle, even as it privately rented the chip maker's products, according to a Washington Post article citing sealed court documents .

The makers of the iPhone maker have qualified Qualcomm's engineering as "best" in one memo, while another said that the chip maker possessed a "unique patent share", according to The report.

The sealed documents were obtained by Qualcomm during the discovery phase of a lawsuit that resulted in a surprise settlement Tuesday, one day after the start of it. The settlement ended legal disputes in China, Germany and other countries, in addition to the United States.

Apple and its manufacturing partners had argued that Qualcomm 's royalties, which were based on a customer' s entire device, were too high and that they only had to pay for the modem 's modem chips. business. Qualcomm argued that its technology enabled many other elements of the phone, such as GPS and multimedia, and that Qualcomm deserved compensation for these advances.

Apple had been buying Qualcomm modems for its iPhones for years, until the scramble. According to a 2009 rating, Qualcomm is "widely regarded as the holder of the strongest patent portfolio for essential and relevant patents for wireless standards," according to Post. An Apple hardware manager wrote: "With regard to engineering, they have been the best."

A representative from Apple said the company was willing to pay a fair price for the technology used in its products. Qualcomm did not respond to a request for comment.

Originally released April 20 at 10:08 Pacific Time
Updated, 1:27 pm: Updates with Apple's answer.