A federal jury in the United States has ruled that Qualcomm's processors are properly licensed under its agreement with Arm Holdings. This decision allows Qualcomm to continue manufacturing chips based on ARM architecture, Reuters reports.
After more than nine hours of deliberation over two days, the eight-member jury could not unanimously determine whether the startup Nuvia violated Arm's licensing terms. However, they concluded that Qualcomm had adhered to its licensing agreement.
Arm disagrees with the decision and plans to seek a retrial, leaving the possibility of the case being reopened in the future. Judge Maryellen Noreika, who presided over the case in the federal court of Delaware, urged both parties to find a compromise. She noted that neither company would benefit if the case goes back to court.
The legal dispute between Qualcomm and Arm began in October 2024, but their broader legal battle dates back to 2022.
The core of the conflict lies with the startup Nuvia, which Qualcomm acquired in 2021. Before the acquisition, Nuvia paid higher royalties for using an Arm license. Afterward, Qualcomm integrated Nuvia's technologies into its chips, produced under a lower royalty rate.