IRVINE, Calif.-Broadcom Corp. unleashed a major patent suit against CDMA pioneer Qualcomm Inc., alleging the company’s chip offerings violate 10 of its patents. The move is notable as Qualcomm has typically been the instigator in a number of patent battles.
“We believe that Qualcomm’s current and next-generation cellular baseband and radio-frequency product lines infringe a number of our patents,” said Scott McGregor, Broadcom’s president and chief executive officer.
A Qualcomm spokeswoman said the company had not yet reviewed the Broadcom suit and could therefore not comment on the issue.
Broadcom’s intellectual property portfolio includes 955 issued U.S. patents and more than 3,200 additional U.S. patent applications.
Qualcomm is no stranger to the courtroom. The company has fought patent battles against the likes of Maxim Integrated Products Inc., Motorola Inc., L.M. Ericsson, BTG USA Inc. and others.
