A US judge turned down an attempt by Qualcomm to delay court-ordered renegotiation of its patent licensing agreements until an appeal to the original ruling had been heard.
The judge, who also presided over the licensing case Qualcomm is contesting, didn’t offer a specific reason for turning down the request but dismissed several evidence submissions by the company.
In the original ruling the court sided with the US Federal Trade Commission’s view Qualcomm abused its dominant market position to force customers to pay excessive patent licensing fees.
The chip company was ordered to renegotiate agreements and undertake compliance monitoring for seven years. It was also banned from entering exclusive agreements for modem chips and told to make essential patents available to rivals on reasonable terms.
Following the original decision, Qualcomm EVP and general counsel Don Rosenberg said: “We strongly disagree with the judge’s conclusions, her interpretation of the facts and her application of the law.”
It added the evidence presented at the case had showed a “thriving, competitive wireless industry”.
In addition to contesting the decision, Qualcomm argued immediate imposition of the order would cause irreparable harm to the company should it then go on to win the appeal.
The case is one of a number of spats the company has been involved in across a number of markets on competition and licensing issues.
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