A US district court has dismissed an antitrust suit filed by microchip maker Broadcom against Qualcomm, although Broadcom said it would continue to pursue the case, a Reuters report said.
The Reuters report said Broadcom alleged that Qualcomm violated antitrust laws by charging too much for licenses for patents based on wireless technology for mobile phones.
According to the Reuters report, in rejecting Broadcom's claim, Judge Mary Cooper of the US district court in New Jersey wrote that Qualcomm 'has not refused to license its patents to Broadcom. Broadcom has refused the licensing terms proposed by Qualcomm.'
She said in her 48-page decision that while Qualcomm's action 'may give rise to liability based on another theory such as breach of contract, it does not give rise to antitrust liability.'
Qualcomm said it has 'scrupulously abided by its commitments to standards-development organizations to offer licenses for its essential patents on fair and reasonable terms.'
Broadcom said it was evaluating its next legal steps, including a request for the court to reconsider its decision, appealing the decision to the US Third Circuit Court of Appeals, or filing an amended complaint, according to the Reuters report.