A federal judge ruled in favor of a handful of lawyers for Qualcomm Inc. in a case that stemmed from a 2008 complaint by Irvine-based chipmaker Broadcom Corp.
U.S. Magistrate Barbara Major found errors had occurred in the patent dispute between the two chipmakers but that outside lawyers who represented San Diego-based Qualcomm did not act in bad faith, according to a report on the San Diego Union-Tribune’s Web site.
The move overturned a previous ruling by the judge in early 2008, when she cited “exceptional misconduct” on the part of Qualcomm’s lawyers for withholding critical e-mails and other important documents to gain an edge over Broadcom.
The allegations of misconduct stem from a previous patent dispute involving video compression chips for cell phones.
Qualcomm settled the case with Broadcom and was ordered to pay $8.5 million in legal fees. In addition, Qualcomm and six outside lawyers involved in the case were sanctioned by the judge withholding the documents.
The lawyers appealed the sanctions.
The decision wraps up what is perhaps the last legal issue in what was a pattern of legal tit-for-tat over chip patents between the two companies.
About a year ago, Broadcom emerged as the victor in a four-year feud over wireless phone chip patents with Qualcomm.
As part of a settlement struck in May, Broadcom is set to collect some $891 million in royalties over four years. The deal ended the long-running patent litigation as well as complaints before trade commissions in the U.S., Europe and South Korea.
