Qualcomm withheld info from standards body, says judge

A US federal judge ruled Qualcomm withheld key information from a standards-setting body, potentially waiving rights to enforce two patents on video-compression technology, an Associated Press report said.

The Associated Press report said the ruling is a victory for rival Broadcom in a wide-ranging legal battle between the two wireless technology companies. It came amid a two-day public hearing before the US International Trade Commission in Washington on another one of their patent disputes, the report said.

Qualcomm sued Broadcom in 2005 for violating patents on a video-compression standard known as H.264, which is used in DVD players, digital televisions and iPods, the report said.

Presiding judge Rudi Brewster agreed with the advisory ruling, saying evidence showed Qualcomm waived rights to enforce the patents 'by its silence in the face of a 'clear duty to speak.''
He scheduled a May 2 hearing to consider a penalty, the report said.

In a partial victory for Qualcomm, Brewster rejected Broadcom's claim that Qualcomm misled the US Patent and Trademark Office by withholding relevant scientific articles, the report further said.