Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL) lost its US Supreme Court challenge against Qualcomm Inc over smartphone patents.
The iPhone maker had attempted to cancel three Qualcomm patents that are covered by a settlement that is due to end in 2025.
This followed the Supreme Court's denial of Apple's appeal in June.
The companies have been in and out of legal battles since 2016 when Apple bought Qualcomm's model chips but argued that the chip-maker was abusing its market position by making it pay licensing fees for its patents.
Qualcomm took Apple to court in 2017 over the use in iPhones, iPads and Apple Watches of chips that it said infringed on its patents.
In 2019 the pair reached a global agreement to dismiss all ongoing litigation, including litigation with Apple's contract manufacturers, with both companies inking an agreement to license patents globally and to supply chipsets.
The US Patent and Trademark Office's patent trial and appeal board upheld the patents in 2020.
Apple has been appealing as it is worried about Qualcomm taking it to court again after the license expires, which could be in 2025.