Qualcomm Praises Trade Judge's Decision Against Apple in Patent Claim

Qualcomm praised a U.S. trade judge’s decision Tuesday that certain iPhones violated one of its patents, but disputed another, said General Counsel Don Rosenberg. International Trade Commission Administrative Law Judge MaryJoan McNamara made an initial determination that Apple violated Section 337 of the Tariff Act in importing “certain mobile electronic devices containing processing components” and will recommend limited exclusion and cease and desist orders against Apple. Final determination is expected by July 26. “We are pleased that today ITC Judge McNamara found that Apple-designed processors infringe our ‘674 patent and will be recommending an import ban and cease and desist order to the Commission,” said Rosenberg. “The innovations we contribute to the iPhone extend well beyond a single component and Judge McNamara’s decision, along with recent infringement rulings in other U.S. and foreign courts, affirm the value of our technologies.” The patent, No. 8,063,674, improves power management in processor circuitry to reduce power consumption and improve battery life in mobile devices, said Rosenberg. Qualcomm accused circuitry in the Apple-designed A10, A11 and A12 application processors used widely in Apple devices, including in iPhones from the 7 through the most recently released models, he said. Also Tuesday, the ITC issued a determination not to review infringement complaints for six other Qualcomm patents. That's "inconsistent with the recent unanimous jury verdict finding infringement of the same patent after Apple abandoned its invalidity defense at the end of trial,” said Rosenberg. Qualcomm will seek reconsideration. Rosenberg said courts in China and Germany recently ruled that Apple infringed other Qualcomm nonstandard essential patents and issued injunctions on infringing devices. Apple didn’t comment Wednesday.