Qualcomm's head lawyer resigned after a string of legal setbacks at the world's second-largest chipmaker for mobile phones, an Associated Press report said.
The Associated Press report said Lou Lupin, 52, joined Qualcomm in 1995 and was elevated to general counsel in 2000, a position from which he led efforts to build and defend the company's vaunted business of licensing rights to its patented technology to other companies.
Carol Lam, one of eight federal prosecutors fired by the Bush administration this year, was named his interim replacement, the report said.
Lam, 48, joined Qualcomm in February after five years as the federal government's top prosecutor in San Diego.
Lupin, whose resignation took effect immediately, did not respond to a phone message or email at his Qualcomm address, the report said.
The Associated Press report quoted a company spokeswoman, Bertha Agia, as saying that Lupin resigned for personal reasons and was unavailable to comment.
The move follows several legal losses to Broadcom, a smaller rival and a newcomer to the cell phone business, the report said.
Last Monday, the Bush administration upheld a ban on imports of high-end cell phones that contain Qualcomm chips, clouding the introduction of new handsets from some carriers and manufacturers, the report further said.