Qualcomm Wins Chip Antitrust Case Again as 9th Cir. Affirms (1)

Chip maker Qualcomm Inc. prevailed Tuesday in an antitrust case alleging its business practices violate California’s antitrust laws, after the Ninth Circuit largely affirmed a lower district court’s judgments against consumer plaintiffs.

The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit said the district court was right to reject the plaintiffs’ claim that Qualcomm’s “no license, no chips” policy violated the California Cartwright Act.

Plaintiffs’ state law claims against Qualcomm fail for many of the same reasons as did allegations in the Federal Trade Commission suit that preceded and inspired the consumer case, Judge Ryan D. Nelson wrote.

“Several years ...