Apple Dodges One Import Ban in Qualcomm Fight, Faces Another

In lawsuits against Apple, in two separate rulings, Qualcomm won one and lost one, according to Bloomberg.

The U.S. International Trade Commission yesterday invalidated a Qualcomm patent for a battery-saving feature. Earlier in the day, a separate trade judge said Apple infringed a different Qualcomm patent and recommended certain older models of the iPhone be banned. The commission is scheduled to release a final decision in that case in July.

The cases are among some 80 worldwide between the companies in a dispute that’s lasted more than two years. Qualcomm is hoping a victory, particularly an import ban, could give it greater leverage in technology licensing negotiations. Qualcomm says it’s due billions of dollars in unpaid royalties on the iPhone as the two tech giants argue over the value of the chipmaker’s patents.

Apple denied infringing any of the patents in the two cases and claimed Qualcomm is trying to shut its only U.S.-based competitor out of the market, something Apple argues will hinder the development of the fifth-generation of mobile communications. In both cases at the trade agency, Apple argued that no import ban should be imposed even if a patent violation is found.

In the earlier case on Tuesday, ITC Judge MaryJoan McNamara said she would be recommending an import ban on certain models of iPhones, which are made in China, according to a notice posted on the Washington agency’s electronic docket. The judge found no violation of two other Qualcomm patents in the case.