Arm-Qualcomm legal fight ends in limited verdict, larger stakes remain

A Delaware jury found that Arm breached its licensing agreement with Qualcomm but awarded the chipmaker just $2 in damages, leaving a potentially multibillion-dollar dispute over royalty payments unresolved. The jury ruled on October 13 that Arm had failed to provide software patches and development tools required under its agreement with Qualcomm. It also found that Arm had interfered with Qualcomm’s business relationship with Meta Platforms, while rejecting several other allegations against Arm. Qualcomm is seeking to invoke a contractual provision that would allow it to stop paying royalties to Arm for five years. Arm has argued that the provision is unenforceable, leaving US District Judge Maryellen Noreika to decide whether Qualcomm is entitled to the remedy, Reuters reported. Qualcomm welcomed the finding that Arm breached its licensing obligations, while Arm emphasized that it prevailed on several other claims and was ordered to pay only nominal damages. The verdict follows an earlier dispute over Qualcomm’s 2021 acquisition of chip designer Nuvia. Arm argued that Qualcomm needed its consent to use technology developed under Nuvia’s license. A jury sided with Qualcomm on ke…

≈