Broadcom, Qualcomm to settle lawsuit

Broadcom and Qualcomm may be on the verge of settling their legal disputes just days before they are scheduled to go into court to argue the merits of their patent infringement cases.

Though neither company is commenting on the settlement, a federal judge in San Diego has postponed Monday’s scheduled trial, citing ongoing settlement negotiations. The two companies have filed multiple claims against one another in domestic and international courts, Qualcomm alleging infringement on patents from everything from Bluetooth to CDMA technologies, while Broadcom accuses Qualcomm of unfair market practices.

The two have been gradually settling lawsuits, but the ongoing legal battle rages on. The San Diego suit involves a patent related to power usage in the phone, upon which Qualcomm claims Broadcom is infringing. The two are also scheduled to go before the U.S. Trade Commission next week for hearings over penalties Qualcomm faces after the commission found it had infringed on Broadcom patents related to cell phone power conservation.