Qualcomm to Pay $975 Million in Settlement With China Over Patent Monopoly Investigation

Qualcomm said it reached a $975 million settlement with China’s National Development and Reform Commission to end NDRC’s investigation of the company under anti-monopoly law. The NDRC issued an administrative decision that Qualcomm violated the nation’s anti-monopoly law and the company agreed not to pursue further legal proceedings challenging the findings, Qualcomm said Monday. The company said it agreed to modify some of its business practices in China to satisfy Chinese law, including offering licenses to its 3G and 4G patents that don’t implement CDMA or WCDMA separately from its other patents, with royalties on 3G patents set at 5 percent and royalties on 4G patents set at 3.5 percent. “We are pleased that the investigation has concluded and believe that our licensing business is now well positioned to fully participate in China's rapidly accelerating adoption of our 3G/4G technology,” said Qualcomm President Derek Aberle.