BlackBerry wins $814.9m arbitration settlement over Qualcomm royalty overcharging claims

Judgement is binding and, hence, Qualcomm won't be able to appeal against it

Ex-smartphone maker BlackBerry has won $814.9m in a binding arbitration settlement over technology royalty payments from semiconductor company Qualcomm.

That $814.9m sum, which will increase next month when legal fees and interest are added, was awarded to BlackBerry after an arbitration hearing concluded that Qualcomm had been overcharging the company for patent royalties between 2010 and 2015.

This decision came after BlackBerry argued that there was supposed to be a cap on its royalty payments, while Qualcomm argued that BlackBerry's payments were non-refundable.

BlackBerry is, understandably, pleased with the ruling. CEO John Chen said: "BlackBerry and Qualcomm have a longstanding relationship and continue to be valued technology partners.

"We are pleased the arbitration panel ruled in our favour and look forward to collaborating with Qualcomm in security for ASICs and solutions for the automotive industry."

Qualcomm isn't quite so delighted. In statement, it said that while it "does not agree with the decision, it is binding and not appealable", which means this isn't a dispute that will run and run.

Trading in BlackBerry's stock was briefly halted ahead of the announcement. It has since resumed and shares are up by more than 10 per cent.

Wednesday's decision in BlackBerry's favour likely has Apple's lawyers rubbing their hands together, as Apple launched a similar $1bn lawsuit in January against Qualcomm. It claimed that the company deliberately overcharged for its technologies and refused to pay-up promised rebates.

"For many years Qualcomm has unfairly insisted on charging royalties for technologies they have nothing to do with," Apple said in a statement at the time.

"The more Apple innovates with unique features such as TouchID, advanced displays, and cameras, to name just a few, the more money Qualcomm collects for no reason and the more expensive it becomes for Apple to fund these innovations."

Just this week, Qualcomm announced plans to countersue Apple.

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