Tuesday, June 12, 2007
U.S. Bans Some Qualcomm Cellphones in Patent Case
Posted by Mike Temporale in "NEWS" @ 08:00 AM
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/08/business/08phone-web.html?_r=2&oref=slogin&oref=slogin
"A federal agency has banned imports of new cellphones made with Qualcomm semiconductors because the chips violate a patent held by Broadcom. The International Trade Commission said today that the import ban would not apply to mobile phone models that were imported on or before June 7. The ruling is a blow to Qualcomm, to wireless handset makers like Motorola and Samsung, and to service providers like Verizon Wireless, SprintNextel and AT&T. All three service providers sell phones that rely on Qualcomm chips for access to their high-speed data networks, and 80 percent of the phones sold by Verizon use Qualcomm’s technology. Analysts say the decision could also result in higher prices for cellphone users as companies pass along the costs of switching to the new technology."I'm sure this is long from over, but it sure does bring an interesting state to the mobile phone market. I haven't seen this kind of buzz since the RIM lawsuits from last year. ;) While everyone wants to protect their intellectual property, this does nothing for the average consumer except delay the adoption of 3G and raise the price of phones. I hope we can move past this quicker than the RIM lawsuits.
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