It looks like Qualcomm can enjoy a more peaceful Christmas this year after all. Photo: HWZ.
Remember how Arm terminated Qualcomm’s chip architecture license because it thought Qualcomm breached a contract? This lawsuit was also very well-timed, as it happened during Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Summit 2024.
Exactly two months after Arm filed its breach of contract lawsuit, Qualcomm got itself a very nice Christmas present by winning the lawsuit for now, as reported on Reuters.
Qualcomm won because the 8-person US jury said no to one of the three questions that needed an answer for the trial to proceed properly. The question was whether Nuvia (owned by Qualcomm) breached the terms of its Arm license.
The jury also said that the existing license Qualcomm is already paying for is also properly done, which means Qualcomm can continue to sell its Snapdragon X series laptops and Snapdragon 8 Elite smartphones (of which the latest models contain its Oryon CPU, the heart of the argument).
Snapdragon 8 Elite lives to see another day. Photo: HWZ.
With its core arguments refuted, Arm’s lawsuit has resulted in a mistrial. This means Arm must approach Qualcomm differently if it genuinely believes its intellectual property is being infringed upon and wishes to jingle Qualcomm’s bells again.
As seen on Qualcomm’s newsroom:
We are pleased with today’s decision. The jury has vindicated Qualcomm’s right to innovate and affirmed that all the Qualcomm products at issue in the case are protected by Qualcomm’s contract with ARM. We will continue to develop performance-leading, world class products that benefit consumers worldwide, with our incredible Oryon ARM-compliant custom CPUs.
If you’ve been following the drama, you’d know Qualcomm’s acquisition of Nuvia is highly contentious, and Arm is hardly the only company with its eyes, ears, and lawyers on the ground. Read our summary here if you need a refresher.
Source: Reuters
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