Arm wants to seek retrial in Qualcomm case after mixed verdict

Arm said it would reopen the case against Qualcomm over a licensing dispute related to the Snapdragon

Arm said it would reopen the case against Qualcomm over a licensing dispute related to the Snapdragon

The Cambridge, U.K.-based chip design licensor issued the statement in response to the mistrial caused by the jury’s mixed verdict handed down Friday in U.S. District Court in Delaware.

(Related: Qualcomm: Response rates for Snapdragon X PCs are “industry standard”)

“We are disappointed that the jury was unable to reach a consensus on the claims. We intend to request a retrial because the jury is deadlocked,” an Arm spokesman said in a statement.

“From the beginning, our top priority has been to protect Arm’s intellectual property and the unparalleled ecosystem we have built with our valued partners over more than 30 years,” the representative added. “As always, we are committed to driving innovation in our rapidly evolving market, supporting our partners while advancing the future of computing.”

The jury concluded that Qualcomm did not violate an Arm architecture license agreement for the purpose of developing custom, Arm-based CPU cores to Nuvia, a chip design startup that the company acquired in 2021. In order to revive its CPU efforts in the PC market, other things were granted.

The jury also concluded that Qualcomm’s existing architectural license agreement with Arm covers further development of custom CPU cores that the company gained through its acquisition of Nuvia.

However, the jury was out on whether Nuvia violated the licensing agreement it entered into with Arm when it was acquired by Qualcomm.

Reuters reporter Max Cherney posted on

Qualcomm declared the mixed verdict a victory shortly after it was announced.

“We are satisfied with today’s decision. The jury’s verdict confirms Qualcomm’s right to innovation. We will continue to develop world-class, performance-leading products that benefit consumers worldwide,” Qualcomm CMO Don McGuire said in a post on X.

Arm’s shares fell more than 1.4 percent, while Qualcomm’s shares rose more than 1.8 percent in after-hours trading on Friday.

The mixed ruling stemmed from a lawsuit filed by Arm in August 2023 alleging that Qualcomm violated the Nuvia license agreement by continuing development of Nuvia’s custom CPU cores without obtaining approval from it after the acquisition was completed arm to catch up. Arm said both parties had failed to reach a new agreement after negotiating terms for more than a year.

Arm, which also accused Qualcomm of infringing its trademarks in connection with the alleged licensing violation, sought to seek compensation by ceasing sales of all Qualcomm chips with the controversial custom CPU cores. Additionally, the destruction of these chips and all materials bearing Arm’s trademarks was sought.

San Diego, California-based Qualcomm, on the other hand, claimed that further development of the custom CPU cores it received through the Nuvia acquisition was covered by independent licenses that it granted for “the same Arm technology and the same information”.

The jury made its decision after Qualcomm and Arm executives presented conflicting arguments between Monday and Wednesday about the validity of the lawsuit’s claims.

The custom CPU cores, which have since been renamed Oryon, are being rolled out to the Snapdragon

The verdict was announced as Qualcomm attempts to compete with Intel and AMD in the PC market with its Snapdragon