Qualcomm claims win following mistrial in copyright battle with Arm

Qualcomm is claiming victory in its court battle with chip design giant Arm after a jury in the US found that its processor designs are properly licensed, despite the case ended in a mistrial, leaving the door open for Arm to return with a fresh action.

After a week-long federal court trial held in the state of Delaware, jurors could not reach a decision on whether AI chip startup Nuvia - purchased by Qualcomm for $1.4 billion in 2021 - breached the terms of its agreement to license Arm IP. This led to the mistrial outcome. However, the jurors said Qualcomm did not breach its license, and that its chips, which incorporate Nuvia technology, are properly licensed.

Considering this result as a “win,” a Qualcomm spokesperson said: “The jury has vindicated Qualcomm’s right to innovate and affirmed that all the Qualcomm products at issue in the case are protected by Qualcomm’s contract with Arm.”