Nokia sued Qualcomm back in the day when they were the biggest mobile manufacturer. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/24/technology/24qualcomm.html Look where they are now...
Apple needs to win with technology and innovation, not lawyers
Apple needs to win with technology and innovation, not lawyers
The article you've linked also notes that Qualcomm and Nokia already had a prior agreement, but once it expired couldn't agree and ended up in court. That's not what is going on between Apple and Qualcomm.