Qualcomm chip ban suspended
It’s been a long battle for Qualcomm, but a federal judge temporarily lifted a ban on the import of the company’s chips. Back in June, the federal government banned their import, citing patent infringement on chip maker Broadcom. The Bush administration was called upon to lift the ban last month, but balked at the idea. So things looked bleak for a while. Matters weren’t helped by power-mongering Verizon, who struck a licensing deal with Broadcom, which would pay the chip makers a commission for every phone sold by the wireless carrier. Yesterday, other companies and handset makers saw a bit of justice.
Had the ban continued, it could have delayed the launch of high-end cell phones in this country during the crucial holiday season.
So while we’d like to think the lifting of the ban is good because it allows better phones into the country, it seems that everyone else is merely concerned with how much they’ll rake in during the holidays. Do the ends justify the means here? Probably.
The temporary ban lifting (there is no word on the conditions of its reinstatement) applies to AT&T and T-Mobile. Phone makers Motorola, Samsung, LG, Kyocera, and Sanyo also are allowed to import the Qualcomm chips.
The technology applies to an enhanced battery life, which is becoming more and more essential as we move to data-based phones. They require a more constant connection, and therefore use far more battery power than the average cell phone.
In the end, the ban was overturned because of the persistence of the phone makers. They argued time and again that the ruling was against Qualcomm and Qualcomm only, meaning that they could import the chips. It’s a bit of shaky logic, but for now, it’s achieved its purpose.
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