Broadcom wins appeal against Qualcomm, both claim victory

Chip ban aside, Broadcom's still pursuing other avenues to hurt Qualcomm's bottom line in its ongoing battles over a handful of alleged intellectual property infringements (also known as "Qualcomm getting a taste of its own medicine"). The company has just succeeded in getting an appeals court to overturn an August 2006 ruling stating that Broadcom had no antitrust case against Qualcomm over its WCDMA licensing terms; the higher court figures that Qualcomm's failure to license WCDMA technology at "reasonable" rates is tantamount to "actionable anticompetitive conduct," giving Broadcom an in to resume the suit. Broadcom thinks that's swell, naturally, but Qualcomm is tooting its horn as well, noting that just two of Broadcom's eight original claims remain. We guess that's a victory for ya, Qualcomm, but it's a bit of a stretch.