Consumer association Which? withdraws £480 million UK class action against Qualcomm

Compass Lexecon was instructed by Qualcomm and its external counsel during the proceedings at the UK Competition Appeal Tribunal in context of the class action initiated by consumer association Which?. The consumer group claimed damages on behalf of 29 million purchasers of Apple and Samsung phones in the UK, arguing that consumers overpaid for their mobile phones as a result of Qualcomm’s licensing practice. In February 2026, Which? decided to withdraw its lawsuit, with no payments to be made by Qualcomm to the class.

Situation

Consumer organization Which? filed a class action claim against Qualcomm at the UK Competition Appeal Tribunal (‘CAT’) in February 2021. The consumer group argued that Qualcomm, a US technology company, abused its dominant market position in chipsets in its licensing negotiations with Apple and Samsung for standard essential patents (‘SEP’).Which? claimed that purchasers of Apple and Samsung phones in the UK had overpaid for their mobile phones. It sought compensation for approximately 29 million consumers, equalling a claim of over £480 million.

Our role

Qualcomm’s external counsel from Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP and Norton Rose Fulbright instructed Compass Lexecon to provide expert evidence during the proceedings at the UK CAT. We provided economic analysis, including several expert reports, assessing market definition, dominance and the alleged abuse. Dr. Padilla testified at the trial in October 2025.

Outcome

After five years of litigation, including a long trial period in 2025, the consumer rights group agreed to withdraw its lawsuit, acknowledging that its antitrust arguments before the CAT would have failed. Qualcomm is not due to make any payments to the class, and upon approval of the withdrawal application, the claim against Qualcomm will conclude.

The team

The Compass Lexecon team working on the litigation case was headed by Jorge Padilla and Lau Nilausen, and included Gytautas Karklius, Verdi Choo, Benjamin Dubowitz, Ying Li, Christian Muller, and Abigail Davis.

They advised counsel to Qualcomm: a team from Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan led by partners Miguel Rato and Marixenia Davilla, and a team from Norton Rose Fulbright led by partners Caroline Thomas, Richard Zembek, Helen Fairhead and Nuala Canavan and counsel Verity Quartermain. 

We also worked closely with barristers Daniel Jowell KC, Nick Saunders KC and David Bailey from Brick Court Chambers.