Communications chip vendor Broadcom has sued Qualcomm, seeking to halt the manufacture and sale of key Qualcomm chips.
The suit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, alleges that Qualcomm has infringed 10
Broadcom patents. Broadcom has also filed a complaint with the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC), seeking to ban the
importation of some foreign-manufactured Qualcomm products that allegedly infringe Broadcom patents, according to a Broadcom
statement Thursday.
Broadcom, in Irvine, California, is one of the world's largest vendors of communications silicon. It supplies chips for a
wide variety of wired and wireless communications systems, including cellular and VOIP (voice over Internet Protocol) as well
as cable, satellite, DSL (digital subscriber line) and LAN and carrier infrastructure. Qualcomm, in San Diego, pioneered CDMA
(Code Division Multiple Access) and develops chipsets for the cellular technology.
Broadcom said it is seeking unspecified monetary damages from Qualcomm and a permanent injunction to ban the manufacture and
sale of its core baseband and RF (radio frequency) chips, including chips for multimedia and for the QChat VOIP technology,
which is used for cellular push-to-talk systems.
In its complaint filed with the ITC on Thursday, Broadcom alleged Qualcomm has engaged in unfair trade practices by importing
chips and other products that infringe five Broadcom patents. It wants the agency to investigate Qualcomm and ultimately issue
an exclusion order to stop imports of those products into the U.S., as well as a cease-and-desist order to stop further sales
of the allegedly infringing products, according to the statement.
On Thursday morning, Qualcomm had not yet seen a copy of the lawsuit and was unable to comment, spokesman Jeremy James said.
