After time and time again everything on the legal field seemed to be going against it, Qualcomm Inc. finally won a round in its patent battles with wireless phone maker Nokia on Wednesday as a U.S. trade court tossed out a lawsuit asking for Qualcomm"s chips to be barred from the United States. The U.S. International Trade Commission dropped the Nokia lawsuit due to pending arbitration, and, according to ITC staffer John Greer, "The case is finished at the ITC."
Nokia had alleged infringement of patents on technology that made its telephones smaller and more efficient. The electronics company had requested the ITC bar the importation of the infringing chips. However, an ITC administrative law judge granted Qualcomm"s motion to dismiss the suit on October 18. Nokia protested, requesting a review of the decision, but the commission upheld it. "Nokia is disappointed in the ruling but the decision is based on the pending arbitration and not the merits of the case," said Nokia spokeswoman Laurie Armstrong.