Friday, June 8, 2007

Broadcom Wins ITC Ban On Qualcomm Chips

The United States International Trade Commission (ITC) has ordered that certain Qualcomm chips used in cellular phones infringe on Broadcom patents, and should be barred from importation into the U.S.. The ruling, which was announced Thursday afternoon, came as part of a patent dispute between Broadcom and Qualcomm over cellular baseband chips. The chips are incorporated into phones heavily used by many wireless carriers, including Verizon, Spring, and AT&T. According to the ruling, the order bars handset makers from bringing their products into the U.S. if they contain Qualcomm's infringing chips, but does not cover existing models of phones and PC data cards. The ITC complaint was filed by Broadcom in May 2005, and follows a win by Broadcom in a patent infringement lawsuit against Qualcomm last month. The ITC order is subject to Presidential review by President Bush for a period of sixty days. Qualcomm said it will seek an emergency stay from the Federal Circuit and seek a Presidential veto of the ruling.

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