Wireless technology company Qualcomm Inc. said Wednesday a Dutch court has dismissed a complaint filed against it by cell phone maker Nokia Corp. in a patent case.
Nokia had sought a ruling that Qualcomm’s European patents on chips placed on the market by Texas Instruments Inc. — and used in Nokia’s phones — are exhausted. This would have prevented Qualcomm from collecting license fees on Nokia cell phones using the chips.The District Court in the Hague ruled that it only had jurisdiction over Netherlands and not the rest of Europe, Qualcomm said. The court also concluded that Nokia’s complaint was “too vague and nonspecific,” and did not adequately provide specific examples of the patents’ exhaustion, according to Qualcomm.A representative for Nokia could not immediately be reached for comment Wednesday morning.Nokia has three months to appeal the decision.Last month, a German court also dismissed similar claims of patent exhaustion, according to Qualcomm. Nokia was ordered to pay court costs and Qualcomm’s attorney fees in both cases, the chip maker said.”We are very pleased with the recent rulings … and we are particularly gratified that this ruling highlights that one should view Nokia’s fundamental theory of exhaustion with a significant degree of skepticism,” said Don Rosenberg, executive vice president and general counsel of Qualcomm, in a statement.San Diego-based Qualcomm’s shares rose $1.34, or 3.4 percent, to $40.50 in premarket electronic trading.Espoo, Finland-based Nokia’s American Depositary Shares climbed 53 cents, or 1.4 percent, to $39.33. Copyright 2007 Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
