A PYMNTS Company

US: Qualcomm must license technology to rivals court rules

By  |  November 7, 2018

According to a report from Reuters, a US federal judge ruled on Tuesday, November 6, that chip seller Qualcomm must license some of its technology to competitors such as Intel.

The preliminary ruling came in an antitrust lawsuit against Qualcomm brought by the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in early 2017. The lawsuit is scheduled to go to trial next year.

The preliminary ruling by Judge Lucy Koh in the US District Court for the Northern District of California said that Qualcomm must license some patents involved in making so-called modem chips, which help smartphones connect to wireless data networks, to rival chip firms.

Qualcomm and the FTC had jointly asked Koh last month to delay ruling on the issue for up to 30 days while they pursued settlement talks.

In August, Qualcomm settled with Taiwanese regulators for US$93 million and an agreement to invest US$700 million in the country over the next five years.

Full Content: Reuters
Want more news? Subscribe to CPI’s free daily newsletter for more headlines and updates on antitrust developments around the world.