US Sides With Qualcomm in Backing Company's Request 9th Circuit Stay FTC Win

One U.S. agency is at odds with the FTC having won its case against Qualcomm over the company's alleged mobile chip monopoly. "The district court’s ruling threatens competition, innovation, and national security," said the government's "statement of interest" on the chipmaker's motion for partial stay of injunction pending appeal. "Its liability determination misapplied Supreme Court precedent, and its remedy is unprecedented. Immediate implementation of the remedy could put our nation’s security at risk, potentially undermining U.S. leadership in 5G technology and standard-setting." Qualcomm likely would succeed on the merits of the appeal, said the filing (in Pacer). The case began at the end of the Obama administration over dissent of the then-sole Republican commissioner. U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh in San Jose had issued a permanent injunction over some of the company's IP licensing practices (see 1905220035), which the defendant appealed to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. That's where the government made its new request, and where also this week, stakeholders including Ericsson backed (in Pacer) Qualcomm's partial stay request pending appeal. An FTC spokesperson declined to "comment on DOJ’s views on the Qualcomm case."