The International Trade Commission has upheld an initial ruling that San Diego’s Qualcomm Inc. infringed a patent of Broadcom Corp., the Irvine chipmaker said Monday.
The news is the latest in an ongoing patent battle between Broadcom and Qualcomm.
The commission is expected to take action on the infringement by Feb. 9, after it receives briefings from both companies.
It could permanently bar Qualcomm from importing the chips, issue a cease and desist order on selling the chips or stop importation of cellular phones including the infringed chips.
Qualcomm earlier said it plans to appeal the decision to the full commission as it explored designs to replace the disputed technology. A judge first found the patent violation in October.
Wall Street was unfazed. Shares of both companies were flat in aftermarket trading.
The original October ruling was mixed for Broadcom. Administrative Law Judge Charles Bullock said Qualcomm infringed on one wireless chip patent but not two others.
Patent infringement litigation between the two companies is set to go to trial in the next year.
