Qualcomm v ARM: Jury finds breach of contract but rules partially for both
A US jury has partially sided with Qualcomm in its lawsuit against ARM, finding the chip designer breached contract obligations but not all of them.
A jury in the U.S. District Court for Delaware on Tuesday ruled that ARM breached contract obligations to Qualcomm concerning the development of processor designs. However, the jury also found that ARM did not violate all its commitments related to license agreements with Qualcomm.
ARM was found guilty of failing its contractual duties under an Architecture License Agreement (ALA) with Qualcomm for the further development of processor designs. Additionally, the jury determined that ARM unlawfully interfered with Qualcomm's business dealings with Meta Platforms. For these breaches, the jury awarded Qualcomm symbolic damages of one U.S. dollar for each offense.
The jury, however, found no violation regarding ARM's obligation to offer Qualcomm standard "off-the-shelf" licenses (TLA) on fair terms. This aspect of the ruling specifically pertains to the Cortex A520, A720, M55, and X4 cores, as well as components within the CoreLink series.
Both ARM and Qualcomm have declared victory in the lawsuit. The jury's verdict does not include detailed explanations, leaving room for interpretation. The case is not entirely concluded, as a judge must still rule on issues that arose after the trial, concerning ARM's negotiation obligations for new licenses.