Anyone have any thoughts on the consequences of this to Nokia? How will this affect WCDMA? Does this mean Nokia needs a 3G license from Qualcomm to build out WCDMA?
Qualcomm patents upheld in Europe
By Bloomberg News
November 10, 2000, 12:15 p.m. PT
SAN DIEGO--Qualcomm said European officials upheld three of its patents, including one challenged by Nokia that's critical to its wireless phone standard used by 65 million people.
Nokia, the world's largest cellular phone maker, has been fighting the patent, essential to Qualcomm's so-called CDMA (code division multiple access) technology, since July 1998.
The decisions could make it easier for Qualcomm to get royalties from license agreements in Europe, now dominated by a competing cellular standard. Nokia remains a holdout in licensing Qualcomm's patents for new phones and equipment that provide faster wireless Internet access.
Qualcomm, based in San Diego, successfully defended other patents in Europe, Japan and the United States this year and last. The company also makes computer chips for wireless phones and gets royalties based on its CDMA technology, used by 11 percent of the world's cell phone subscribers.
Copyright 2000, Bloomberg L.P. All Rights Reserved. |
