Qualcomm controversies
Controversies tied to this brand in public sources. A listing is not a finding of fault.
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2022
Arm–Qualcomm licensing dispute
Arm argued that NUVIA-derived designs could not be transferred to Qualcomm without permission under the relevant licensing arrangements. Qualcomm maintained that its licenses covered its custom processor work. A 2024 jury proceeding produced a partial Qualcomm win and a mistrial on one issue.
2021
Red Rock sues Apple and Qualcomm over alleged patent infringement
Lawsuit filed
Red Rock sued Apple and Qualcomm in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, alleging that Qualcomm products used in Apple iPhone 12 models infringed its radio-frequency calibration patent. The allegations are not presented as a court determination.
Source excerpt
Red Rock在起诉书中称，苹果和高通此前都知道他们拥有的No.7,346,313专利，在2008年到2011年间，高通至少3次收到了这一专利存在的通知
Red Rock是在当地时间周四，将高通和苹果告上法庭的，他们在美国得克萨斯州西区联邦地区法院提起了诉讼，指控高通的部分侵犯了他们拥有专利的技术
a California-based IT company Red Rock has filed a lawsuit against Apple and Qualcomm citing patent infringement.
2021
Sol IP sues Qualcomm over patents
Lawsuit filed
Sol IP filed a lawsuit accusing Qualcomm of infringing 28 patents relating broadly to wireless communications, including LTE, 5G, and Wi-Fi technologies. The allegations are not stated as a court determination.
Source excerpt
Sol IP, LLC has thrown the patent book at Qualcomm (6:21-cv-00270), accusing the chipmaker of infringing 28 patents, broadly directed to wireless communications, including LTE, 5G, and Wi-Fi technologies.
The new suit against Qualcomm has been assigned to District Judge Alan D. Albright. 3/17, Western District of Texas.
2021
Which? sues Qualcomm over patent licensing fees
Lawsuit filed
UK consumer organization Which? filed a lawsuit against Qualcomm, alleging abuse of market dominance through its patent licensing and chip supply practices and seeking more than $600 million in compensation.
Stated objective. Which? is seeking compensation for eligible consumers who bought Apple or Samsung smartphones from 1 October 2015 onward.
Source excerpt
在苹果与高通和解近两年之后，高通又因为专利授权费在英国引发了官司，他们被英国消费者权益维护机构起诉滥用市场地位，收取了过高的专利授权费，要求索赔超过6亿美元。
起诉高通滥用市场主导地位的，是英国的消费者权益维护机构Which?，他们认为高通不向竞争对手授权专利、不向未向高通支付高额专利授权费的智能手机厂商供应芯片的做法，是滥用市场地位，是违反竞争法的反竞争策略，向苹果和三星收取了过高的专利授权费，导致智能手机价格的上升。
Which?官网的信息显示，他们已经向竞争上诉法庭提起了诉讼
2020
EU investigates Qualcomm over alleged 5G radio-frequency chip antitrust conduct
Investigation
The European Commission was investigating whether Qualcomm used its market position in 5G modem chips in the radio-frequency chip market to engage in anticompetitive conduct. The investigation was ongoing; the source reports no determination that Qualcomm violated the rules.
Source excerpt
It maintained that its methods "do not violate" EU competition rules.
The wireless hardware giant has revealed in an SEC filing that the European Commission is investigating the company for possible anti-competitive tactics in the radio frequency chip space.
The tech firm said it was in the "process of responding" to the investigation, which started on December 3rd but wasn't public knowledge until now.
2020
Court issues Markman Order in ParkerVision patent case
Ruling
The U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida issued a patent claim-construction ruling in the ongoing action between ParkerVision and Qualcomm and HTC. The court adopted ParkerVision's proposed construction for seven of ten disputed terms and a slightly modified version for the other three. The underlying infringement allegations remain allegations; the ruling addressed claim construction.
Source excerpt
The court's order adopted ParkerVision's proposed construction for seven of the disputed terms and adopted a slightly modified version of ParkerVision's proposed construction for the remaining three terms.
This patent infringement action, filed in May 2014, alleges that certain Qualcomm and HTC product infringe numerous claims of four patents owned by ParkerVision.
JACKSONVILLE, FL / ACCESSWIRE / April 30, 2020 / ParkerVision, Inc. (OTCQB:PRKR) announced today that the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida (Orlando division) issued its patent claim construction ruling, or Markman Order, in the ongoing patent infringement action between ParkerVision and Qualcomm, Inc. (QCOM) and HTC.
2020
Appeals court reverses FTC ruling against Qualcomm
Ruling
In a controversy involving Qualcomm, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit reversed a district court ruling that had gone against the company in a case brought by the Federal Trade Commission. The appellate court vacated the district court's judgment and permanent injunction against Qualcomm, concluding that Qualcomm's licensing policies were not anticompetitive. The decision removed the injunction that had been imposed on the company at the district court level and resolved the appeal in Qualcomm's favor.
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals vacated the district court’s judgment and permanent injunction against Qualcomm, finding that Qualcomm’s licensing policies were not anticompetitive.
Source excerpt
Qualcomm has won its appeal against the US Federal Trade Commission, with the court finding that Qualcomm’s licensing policies are not anticompetitive. In a judgment published Tuesday, the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit vacated the previous judgment, reversing the district court's permanent worldwide injunction against Qualcomm's business practices, which required it to renegotiate fees with rivals.
Qualcomm said the ruling vindicates its approach to licensing its wireless inventions.
A three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday reversed U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh’s ruling last year that Qualcomm violated anti-monopoly laws in the way it licenses patents.
2019
USITC launches investigation into patent infringement allegations
Investigation
The U.S. International Trade Commission decided to investigate allegations by GlobalFoundries that TSMC and other companies infringed 16 of its patents. The allegations are not presented as a determination of infringement.
Source excerpt
In addition to TSMC, other respondents identified by USITC in the case also include Taiwan's integrated circuit designer MediaTek Inc., U.S. IC designers Xilinx Inc. and Qualcomm Inc., search engine giant Google Inc. and American electronics component supplier Avnet Inc., USITC said.
Date: 2019/09/29
The U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) has decided to launch an investigation into allegations of patent infringement involving Taiwan-based Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), the world's largest contract chipmaker.
2019
Monterey Research files patent suit against Qualcomm
Lawsuit filed
Monterey Research filed a patent infringement action against Qualcomm and related entities in Delaware District Court, involving eight Monterey patents. The infringement is alleged by Monterey; the source does not report a court determination.
Source excerpt
The action involves eight Monterey patents covering a variety of innovative technologies, including circuit design and semiconductor manufacturing.
IPValue Management Inc. ("IPValue") announced today that its wholly owned subsidiary Monterey Research LLC ("Monterey") has filed a patent infringement action against Qualcomm Incorporated ("Qualcomm") and related entities in Delaware District Court.
2017
FTC antitrust litigation over licensing practices
The United States Federal Trade Commission alleged that Qualcomm used licensing and supply practices, including its “no license, no chips” approach, to maintain or reinforce market power in modem chips and cellular patent licensing. A district court ruled against Qualcomm in 2019, but the Ninth Circuit reversed the judgment in 2020.
2017
Qualcomm–Apple patent and commercial dispute
Apple and Qualcomm litigated worldwide over patent royalties, licensing terms, chipset supply, and contractual obligations. The dispute ended in 2019 through a global settlement, a new patent license, and a chipset supply agreement.