Republic of Korea: Qualcomm fined 1.03 trillion won ($854 million) for abuse of market dominance

On 28 December 2016, the Korean Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) issued a 1.03 trillion won ($854 million) fine to Qualcomm, a chipset and semiconductor producer. The fine was issued because Qualcomm violated several Korean antitrust laws by abusing its market dominance. Qualcomm forced manufacturers to pay excessive royalties for more patents than they actually needed. Furthermore, Qualcomm also limited rival chipmakers from accessing essential patents.