Qualcomm, hoping to rebound from a string of legal setbacks, urged a federal judge to reject a competitor's request to stop it from selling cell phone chips that infringe on patents, an Associated Press report said.
The Associated Press report said Qualcomm rival Broadcom asked US District Judge James Selna to impose a ban on Qualcomm chips after a jury found in May that Qualcomm violated three patents on Broadcom technologies to help cell phones process video and walkie-talkie conversations and hand off calls between different networks, the report said.
Qualcomm attorney Evan Chesler argued that a ban would give Verizon Wireless an unfair advantage after it agreed last month to pay Broadcom $6 for each phone with a patent-infringing Qualcomm chip, up to $40 million a quarter or $200 million over the life of the agreement, the report added.
The report further quoted Chesler as saying that a ban 'would completely change the playing field' in favor of Verizon Wireless, which in a joint venture between Verizon Communications and Vodafone Group.
Sprint Nextel also depends heavily on Qualcomm's wares but has not struck a deal with Broadcom.
The judge, who doubled jury damages to $39.3 million, is considering additional penalties on Qualcomm. The hearing, which began Tuesday, is expected to last several days.