Qualcomm, the New Owner of Arduino, Blasted for Its Software Patents Tax on 'Smartphones'
This probably deserves more condemnation than conflict minerals
When we first heard about the takeover/acquisition we said "Arduino is Now a Patent Bully (Qualcomm)" and we later elaborated, based on more press reports (we've collected about a dozen so far).
As seen below in [1] (from Daily Links), Qualcomm is a patent leech and Britain's "Which? is bringing the [collective] action on behalf of UK consumers who purchased certain Apple or Samsung smartphones between October 1, 2015, and January 9, 2024."
A lot of Qualcomm's patents are on software. We wrote about this in prior years.
Don't be led to assume the new owner of Arduino is benign. It is not. █
Related/contextual items from the news:
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Qualcomm in the dock over 'patent tax' on smartphones
Consumer rights group Which? is bringing the action on behalf of UK consumers who purchased certain Apple or Samsung smartphones between October 1, 2015, and January 9, 2024. The group estimates these buyers were collectively overcharged by £480 million ($646 million) — approximately £17 ($23) per device.