Qualcomm to Pay BlackBerry at Least $815 Million for Patent Royalty Overpayments

Qualcomm will be required to pay BlackBerry a minimum of nearly $815 million for patent royalty overpayments, BlackBerry said Wednesday. The $815 million award stemmed from a Feb. 27-March 3 binding arbitration hearing in San Diego over whether Qualcomm’s agreement to cap certain royalties was applicable to BlackBerry’s licensing agreement with Qualcomm. Qualcomm may pay upward of the initial award amount depending on the results of a May 30 hearing to determine interest and reasonable attorneys’ fees, BlackBerry said. “We are pleased the arbitration panel ruled in our favor and look forward to collaborating with Qualcomm in security for ASICs and solutions for the automotive industry,” said BlackBerry CEO John Chen in a news release. “While Qualcomm does not agree with the decision, it is binding and not appealable,” Qualcomm said in a statement. Qualcomm also faces ongoing legal battles with the FTC (see 1701170065, 1704040040 and 1704040037) and Apple (see 1701230067 and 1704110026).