Broadcom said it would now seek a permanent injunction to bar Qualcomm from using the technology in any of its products. If the judge in the case agrees with the jury that the infringement was intention, he may, under federal law, potentially increase the damages to nearly $60m.
Irvine, California-based Broadcom initially sought $20m in damages from San Diego, California-based Qualcomm, which denied having infringed the patents, let alone intentionally.
Among the disputed patents was one pertaining to the simultaneous use of a transceiver on two networks, to ensure backward compatibility with older wireless standards when new standards are introduced. Another was for video processing chip architecture, and the third for technology that enables phones to use either fixed or variable networks for push-to-talk.
The verdict follows a 13-day trial in a long-standing intellectual property spat between the rival wireless chipmakers. On June 7, the US International Trade Commission is slated to announce a remedy on its earlier ruling that 3G baseband chips from Qualcomm infringed on a power saving-related patent held by Broadcom. The ITC previously delayed its decision date from May 25 for unspecified reasons.
Broadcom first sued Qualcomm two years ago, for alleged patent infringement. Several suits from both companies ensued. In January, Broadcom won a jury trial after Qualcomm accused it for infringing on its video-compression technology in set-top boxes. Qualcomm has since settled other IP suits brought against it in federal court. And in April, Broadcom filed another complaint, in a Californian court, that alleges Qualcomm misled standards groups for the mobile-phone industry.
