Qualcomm says to have evidence that Apple stole its source code, gave it to Intel

If you were wondering if the long-standing battle between Apple and Qualcomm would continue to intensify or develop, it seems we now have an answer.

Qualcomm has dramatically increased the bet in its latest court ruling, now accusing Apple of stealing its source code and giving it – along with other trade secrets – to its competitor Intel …

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CNBC reports the news with a pun that I would even hesitate to use.

Qualcomm unveiled explosive charges against Apple for stealing "vast expanses" of its confidential information and trade secrets in an effort to improve the performance of Intel's Qualcomm chipsets, according to a case file filed with the California Superior Court.

The allegations are contained in a complaint that Qualcomm is hoping that the court will change its lawsuit against Apple for breaching the so-called master software contract signed by Apple when it became a Qualcomm customer early this decade.

Qualcomm has already accused Apple of violating an agreement allowing the chip maker to verify Apple's use of source code and other trade secrets. But the company is now going much further, suggesting that Apple could only pass Qualcomm radio chips to Intel using the Qualcomm code to improve the performance of Intel's "inferior" chips.

Although the discovery is ongoing, it is clear that Apple's behavior went well beyond the mere breach of the contract initially pursued. Indeed, it is now clear that Apple has embarked on a campaign of false promises, stealth and subterfuge that has lasted for years and that aims to steal Qualcomm's confidential information and trade secrets in the purpose of improving the performance of lower quality modem chipsets. The company based in Apple on Qualcomm.

The chip maker said it gave Apple access to confidential information, with strict acceptance that it could only be used for Qualcomm chips.

Qualcomm considers this as a new and much more serious claim against Apple.

Qualcomm's general counsel, Donald Rosenberg, told CNBC that the case was independent and would have been filed regardless of the ongoing dispute between the two companies.

"The illegal use of Qualcomm's valuable trade secrets to help a competitor catch up is harming and should not be allowed to continue," he said.

It was thought that this year's iPhones use only Intel radio chips, only older models still using those from Qualcomm. Poor performance of Wi-Fi and LTE has been reported by some iPhone XS models, despite faster downloads and downloads, apparently due to "antenna gain issues".

Qualcomm may need additional fees against Apple following an apparent "tactical error" in its approach to the lawsuit.

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