Qualcomm Sued by Ericsson Over Patents

Qualcomm Inc. said Ericsson of Sweden filed a lawsuit claiming that Qualcomm had infringed eight of Ericsson’s wireless patents. According to Qualcomm’s 10-K filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Ericsson filed the suit Sept. 26 in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas. The companies, both leading manufacturers of digital wireless technology, said they are holding talks in hopes of reaching an agreement. The suit alleges that various elements of Qualcomm’s wireless equipment that uses code-division multiple-access technology infringes Ericsson’s patents. San Diego-based Qualcomm has focused on the CDMA technology, while Ericsson has largely backed a rival technology, time-division multiple-access. “We’re bargaining in good faith in order to avoid litigation,” said Molly Foerster, a Qualcomm spokeswoman.