Qualcomm Settles Case With Taiwan

Mobile chipmaker Qualcomm Inc will settle an anti-trust case with Taiwanese regulators for about $93 million, and has also pledged to invest $700 million in Taiwan over the next five years, Reuters reported. The settlement replaces a fine of roughly $778 million imposed by Taiwan’s Fair Trade Commission in 2017, when it accused the US firm of refusing to sell chips to mobile handset makers that wouldn’t agree to its patent-licensing terms. It was also accused of cutting iPhone maker Apple Inc a royalty discount in exchange for the exclusive use of Qualcomm’s modem chips in the past. Under the settlement, Qualcomm will have to provide reports every six months to Taiwanese officials for five years to show it is negotiating in good faith with handset makers in patent-licensing deals. Moreover, Qualcomm will be required to offer patent licenses to rival chipmakers such as Intel Corp and MediaTek Inc on fair terms before seeking to enforce its patent rights against them in court.