• MOST READ

• LATEST NEWS

Broadcom and CSR have been battling for position as more and more radios are packed into handsets, and now they have taken their fight further into the law courts. CSR has filed a motion in US federal court seeking a preliminary injunction against its US competitor, claiming patent infringement.

The key area where the two companies clash is in 'combo chipsets', which integrate Wi-Fi, GPS, FM radio and Bluetooth, and sometimes other features like NFC contactless swipe (though Broadcom says it is steering clear of this for now). Last year, Broadcom said these combo chips would capture nearly 60% of connectivity solutions in cellphones by 2012. Both companies, and rival Texas Instruments, have been making acquisitions to extend their range. For instance, Broadcom bought Global Locate in 2007, while CSR put itself in the legal firing line by purchasing SiRF, which was locked in a litigation battle with the US giant.

If CSR's motion were granted, the court would prohibit the sale and distribution of a range of Broadcom products. The UK player has also added further patent infringement allegations to existing lawsuits, currently before US District Court for the Central District of California. This was kicked off in 2008, when Broadcom asserted patent claims against SiRF at the US International Trade Commission (ITC). Early in 2009, the US Patent and Trademark Office issued initial rejections of Broadcom's claims, prior to CSR's acquisition of SiRF in February 2009.

Then, in 2010, Broadcomg and CSR engaged in tit-for-tat patent violation suits, with Broadcom citing the same IPR as in the ITC case, and its UK rival asserting an undisclosed number of its own IPR claims. CSR said Broadcom had made a filing with the court this week, making counterclaims on some of its patent claims, including certain Bluetooth products.

CSR was aware of the Broadcom litigation at the time it acquired SiRF in 2009 and factored ongoing litigation with Broadcom into business planning for the combined business, CSR said in a statement. The cases are unlikely to come to trial before 2013 and in the meantime, there is rising pressure for the two competitors to end the uncertainty caused by their legal bickerings and agree a cross-licensing deal covering, in particular, Bluetooth and GPS.

Related Stories

COMMENTS

No comments yet. Be the first to add a comment!

Carrier Broadband Performance: Africa & Middle East
Carriers are using mobile broadband as their weapon of choice in the fight against the commoditization of voice and falling ARPU. This...

Voice over LTE: Market Analysis and Forecasts
VoLTE offer unique advantages in lowering a carrier's voice infrastructure economics and promises to improve voice quality, device...