高通在中國認罰9.75億美元
Qualcomm on Monday agreed to pay a record $975m fine to settle allegations by Chinese authorities that it violated the country’s anti-monopoly law, ending a two-year patents fight and helping send its shares up 3 per cent in after-market trading.
美國芯片製造商高通(Qualcomm)週一同意支付創紀錄的9.75億美元罰款，以了結中國政府提出的有關該公司違反中國反壟斷法的指控，從而結束了長達兩年的專利爭端，並幫助高通股價在盤後交易中上漲3%。The deal allowed the US chipmaker to raise its revenue guidance for fiscal year 2015 to at least $26.3bn, up from $26bn, partly because it will make it easier to collect royalties from some Chinese manufacturers that had been underreporting their use of Qualcomm patents. Under the terms Qualcomm will cut the amount it charges Chinese manufacturers to license some of its patented technologies.
該和解協議達成後，高通得以將其2015財年收入預期從260億美元上調至至少263億美元，部分原因在於，此次和解令其從一些中國製造商那裏收取專利費更爲容易，這些中國製造商一直在少報高通專利使用。而根據協議條款，高通將降低向中國製造商收取的部分專利技術許可費。
Analysts said the resolution with China’s National Development and Reform Commission was not as harsh as it could have been. Qualcomm depends heavily on revenue from licensing its patents and counts China as a key market given the number of fast-growing Chinese electronics manufacturers.
分析人士表示，與中國發改委(NDRC)達成的和解並不像人們想象的那樣嚴厲。高通嚴重依賴專利許可收入，鑑於中國快速增長的電子產品製造商數量衆多，該公司將中國列爲一個重要市場。
The Qualcomm patents at the heart of the case, which address how phones connect to 3G and 4G networks, will now cost less to license in China than in other markets, though the discount will cover phones to be sold in China and not made for export.
此案的核心——高通專利（解決了手機連接3G和4G網絡的問題）如今在中國的許可費將低於其他市場，不過這些折扣將適用於在中國國內銷售（而非用於出口）的手機。The case highlights the increasing problems that foreign companies, particular tech groups, have been having in China. Officials have been encouraging state companies and government agencies to buy locally made goods, often citing concerns about cyber security and the possibility of foreign intelligence agencies gathering data from US and European-made devices.
此案突顯出外國製造商（特別是科技公司）在中國正遇到越來越多的問題。中國政府官員列出對網絡安全和外國情報機構可能從美歐生產的設備收集數據的擔憂，鼓勵國有企業和政府機構購買國產商品。Qualcomm, whose chips are found in most of the world’s smartphones, said the fine would cut 58 cents from its earnings per share for fiscal year 2015, reducing a forecast $4.04 to $4.34 to $3.56 to $3.76.
高通芯片用於全球多數智能手機，該公司表示，此次罰款將令其2015財年每股盈利下滑58美分，其每股盈利預測將從4.04美元至4.34美元降到3.56美元至3.76美元。
