Gawker: qualcomm

Broadcom sues Qualcomm for supposedly ripping off its customers

Owen Thomas — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 16:00:00 EDT

If you like watching pie fights, this is equally entertaining: Broadcom is suing Qualcomm over its patent practices. Both companies sell wireless chips, but Qualcomm also makes money by licensing its patents to the same customers who buy its chips. Broadcom, in essense, is accusing Qualcomm of double-charging customers — mostly cell-phone makers. What's not clear: Why Broadcom, rather than Qualcomm's customers, is filing the complaint. [WSJ]

Qualcomm lawyers dinged for withholding evidence

Tim Faulkner — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 18:16:01 EST

A federal judge has sanctioned six Qualcomm attorneys for failing to produce tens of thousands of documents in the chip manufacturer's high-profile patent-infringement lawsuit with Broadcom. The six attorneys will also face further scrutiny for ethics violations from the California Bar Association. Thirteen other attorneys were absolved of their part in the deception. As is always the case, the cover-up is worse than the crime. Qualcomm had already been ordered to pay Broadcom $8.5 million for the patent infringement. Now its lawyers are paying with their reputations. (Photo by Dideo)

Who needs love when you have patents?

Tim Faulkner — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 17:24:27 EDT

Qualcomm, the San Diego-based chipmaker and holder of key wireless patents, is reviled by most everyone. Mobile phone manufacturers hate being dependent on their chips and patented technologies. Nokia in particular is fighting its high licensing fees and is embroiled in several lawsuits. European regulators are investigating whether or not the company's fees are too high. Fiercely protective of its own patents, Qualcomm is accused of infringing competitor Broadcom's patents. That dispute led a U.S. trade commission to ban the import of some devices containing Qualcomm chips. Judge Rudi Brewster scolded the company for withholding evidence related to the Broadcom case, which led to Qualcomm's own lawyers pointing the finger at their client. And none of it matters because Qualcomm continues to keep investors happy.

The stock continues to outperform many others in the chip sector. Grudgingly, mobile phone makers are using more and more Qualcomm chips and patents. Even if it is forced to reduce licensing fees in Europe, Qualcomm has unprecedented revenue from patents — $11 billion over seven years on more than 5,000 patents. And it has perfected the business of patent holding. They are now striking into the WiMax market by acquiring key patent holders in the burgeoning new technology. For Qualcomm, being hated is a good thing, and investors love that Qualcomm is hated. "Why are people coming after us in the courts? Because we're winning in the marketplace," CEO Paul Jacobs says. In the marketplace, or in patent offices? The way our patent system works today, it amounts to the same thing.

Ex-Amp'd CEO Peter Adderton plots his next move

Owen Thomas — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 11:57:28 EDT

If at first you don't succeed, be Peter Adderton. Ever since Amp'd Mobile, the troubled wireless carrier, messily declared bankruptcy in June, Adderton, its former CEO, has been trying to plot his own exit strategy. A rumored deal with Qualcomm never materialized, which makes us equally suspicious of MoCoNews's report that Adderton is "close" to joining Clearwire, the broadband-wireless Internet service provider. Why Clearwire would want to get entangled with Adderton isn't clear. Granted, Amp'd Mobile had a hit in "Lil Bush," the mobile-video series that made the jump to the boob tube on Comedy Central. But most ISPs fare poorly in the content business. And even if Clearwire really wants to make a go of it, is Adderton the best possible partner?

Peter Adderton's Amp'd exit strategy

Owen Thomas — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 19:19:01 EDT

If you're an Amp'd Mobile subscriber, you're officially out of luck at midnight, when Amp'd stops providing customer service. Not that the bankrupt wireless carrier was providing much before. The Amp'd FAQ page, for example, tells customers that they can use their phones with Sprint and Verizon Wireless — but those carriers are telling would-be subscribers that the models are incompatible. There's no graceful exit from Amp'd, in other words. Unless you're former CEO Peter Adderton. Here's how he's planning a comeback, according to a well-placed source.

Adderton, who left the troubled carrier last month, has returned to the States from Australia. And how does he plan to build on his business reputation after blowing through $350 million at the money-losing Amp'd? Why, by selling the content-distribution platform Amp'd built to Qualcomm, the San Diego-based wireless chipmaker, and then getting brought in by Qualcomm to run the business. Sounds like that decision would be up to a bankruptcy-court judge and Qualcomm, not Adderton, but that's what he's been telling people in the industry.