Business Weekly - Cambridge, UK

San Diego-based QUALCOMM, which acquired Cambridge company Trigenix, is a leader in developing and delivering innovative digital wireless communications products and services based on CDMA and other advanced technologies.

It has revealed plans to invest €100 million in European companies offering innovative technologies and services that enhance the global wireless communications ecosystem.

QUALCOMM Ventures’ investment strategy will focus on European SMEs and start-ups that can serve the 3G (WCDMA) business case in Europe through innovation in mobile application/platform software developers, handset components, network infrastructure and core technologies providers.

It will also provide these companies with strategic guidance, advice in enhancing and protecting their innovations, support in standardising their technology, and help getting faster access to global markets.

Cambridge Wireless is already partnering CommNexus, the wireless technology industry association based in San Diego in pursuing long-term collaborative projects. Its SME members would be prime material for this initiative.

For more information, wireless SMEs and start-ups can visit: www.qualcomm.com/ventures

QUALCOMM and another US acquirer of Cambridge technology remain locked in a battle over Intellectual Property Rights concerning certain chips in mobile phones.

Broadcom Corporation, a global leader in semiconductors for wired and wireless communications – which bought Cambridge based Alphamosaic – says the US International Trade Commission has denied a request by QUALCOMM to stay the effectiveness of the ITC’s recent exclusion order.

This bans the importation into the US of certain QUALCOMM chips and cellular phones containing those chips that infringe a Broadcom patent.

An ITC administrative law judge and  the Commission itself found that QUALCOMM’s cellular baseband chips infringe five claims of US. Patent No. 6,714,983, which relates generally to power conservation in cellular phones.

“The protection of IP is essential to American competitiveness and innovation in global markets, particularly in this age of advanced technology and huge worldwide consumer demand for electronic devices and equipment,” said David A. Dull, Broadcom’s senior VP and general counsel.

“So far, QUALCOMM has been found to infringe four different Broadcom patents, one tried in the ITC and three others tried before a federal jury last month in Santa Ana, California, which also found the infringement to be willful.

“Broadcom simply wants to be adequately compensated for the use of our IP and to be able to compete fairly in the cellular markets on the merits and innovation of our products and technologies, as we do in every other market in which we compete.

“Yet QUALCOMM, which collects about $3bn a year from licensing its own patent portfolio and itself uses the ITC as a forum against competitors, refuses to provide appropriate compensation for the use of our IP.

“We have repeatedly communicated to QUALCOMM our readiness to negotiate a lasting resolution to these issues – thus far to no avail. The burden of resolving these matters rests squarely with QUALCOMM.”