The world was anticipating a bruising fight between two tech giants in the Qualcomm v. Apple court battle when the unexpected happened and the two sides agreed to settle their differences. The settlement of the intellectual property dispute took nearly everyone by surprise, but in retrospect, it made sense for both companies – and for consumers, too.
Within hours of the surprising settlement news came another shock: Intel announced it was exiting the modem chip business, effectively handing San Diego’s Qualcomm its second major victory of the day.
The settlement of the two-year-old intellectual property dispute includes a payment from Apple to Qualcomm, though the amount is confidential, and a six-year patent license, news sources reported. The upside for Apple is that it can up its game in its competition with other phone-makers who are already releasing models that incorporate Qualcomm’s 5G chips.
Now Apple can begin to feature Qualcomm chips capable of accessing the new high-speed network. Intel was still developing its own 5G chips. Many analysts hailed the settlement as a big win for consumers who will have accelerated access to 5G phones across both Apple and Android platforms.
In other IP news, a small Tucson-based company filed a lawsuit in a California federal court against aerospace titan Lockheed Martin Corp. over technology used to control small “smart” satellites.
The micro satellites can be reprogrammed once in space.
Arizona’s Vector Launch is suing Lockheed Martin for allegedly violating several of its patents for its GalacticSky software-defined satellite. No word yet of a surprise settlement in this case, however.
To protect your intellectual property, speak with a San Diego law firm known for its effective representation in IP litigation.