June 18 (Reuters) - Qualcomm ( QCOM ) agreed to pay $75

million to resolve a lawsuit in which shareholders accused the

chipmaker of defrauding them by hiding its anticompetitive sales

and licensing practices.

A preliminary all-cash settlement was filed on Tuesday with

the federal court in San Diego.

It requires approval by U.S. District Judge Jinsook Ohta,

who certified the lawsuit as a class action in March 2023.

Qualcomm ( QCOM ) and six individual defendants, including former

chief executives Paul Jacobs and Steven Mollenkopf, denied

wrongdoing in agreeing to settle.

The San Diego-based company did not immediately respond to a

request for comment.

Shareholders accused Qualcomm ( QCOM ) of artificially inflating its

share price between February 2012 and January 2017 by repeatedly

describing its chip sales and technology licensing as separate

businesses, when in fact Qualcomm ( QCOM ) bundled them to stifle

competition.

In January 2017, the Federal Trade Commission and Apple ( AAPL )

sued Qualcomm ( QCOM ) separately in connection with its alleged

efforts to monopolize the market for baseband processors, a type

of chip used in cellphones.

Apple ( AAPL ) said Qualcomm ( QCOM ) used its monopoly position to overcharge

for chips, and seek onerous and costly terms for technology

licenses.

Qualcomm ( QCOM ) called the claims baseless, but its share price

fell 13% on the first full trading day after Apple ( AAPL ) sued.

The case is In re Qualcomm Inc Securities Litigation, U.S.

District Court, Southern District of California, No. 17-00121.