EU fines Qualcomm $1.23B for paying Apple to use its chips

BRUSSELS (AP) — European regulators have fined Qualcomm $1.23 billion after concluding the U.S. mobile chipmaker bribed Apple to stifle competition by using its products exclusively in iPhones and iPads.

The penalty announced Wednesday marks the latest blemish on Qualcomm, whose business tactics have been portrayed as illegal abuses of power in lawsuits filed by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission and Apple. Those cases are still making their way through the courts.

The European Union probe focused on a different area than the U.S. lawsuits. Those complaints allege Qualcomm has been imposing unfair licensing terms on Apple and other makers of mobile devices for technology that it didn't invent.