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Qualcomm Finds Itself in New Legal Claim
(29 Oct 2008, BWCS Staff)Not only is Qualcomm deeply embroiled in a long-running dispute with Broadcomm, but it now faces being thrust into a new patent dispute. This time the offended party is Gabriel Technologies, which has lodged a claim for US$1 billion in damages against the US-based chip-maker. Gabriel alleges that Qualcomm subsidiary SnapTrack improperly appropriated intellectual property as part of a joint development agreement with Locate Networks. According to Gabriel, the rights were acquired by its own subsidiary, Trace Technologies, and Qualcomm wrongly acquired 90 separate patents by claiming ownership.
Ronald Gillum Junior, the president and CEO of Gabriel Technologies said in a statement, "We look forward to providing the court with evidence of Qualcomm's wrongdoing in this case. We intend to vigorously prosecute this misappropriation of our valuable intellectual property." The disputed technology revolves around assisted GPS for location-based services on mobile devices.
Earlier this month, in the latest twist in the Qualcomm vs Broadcomm saga, a federal appeals court overturned a ruling by the US International Trade Commission banning the import of some 3G mobile phones that contained Qualcomm chips. The Washington court also ruled that the ITC was wrong to make Qualcomm liable for inducing infringement of a patent held by its rival Broadcom. The case has now gone back to the ITC. Meanwhile, Qualcomm's legal team must now sharpen their pencils and prepare to defend the company against Gabriel Technologies' claim.
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