Kick 'em when they're down

A federal jury just ruled Qualcomm guilty of violating three patents owned by Broadcom, awarding the smaller company $19.6 million in damages yesterday, ZDNet reports.

One patent in the case relates to how calls are transitioned across networks with different technologies. Another relates to wireless video processing, and the last one relates to walkie-talkie-style cell phone features.

Broadcom plans to ask the US District Court for the Central District of California in Santa Ana to issue a permanent injunction preventing Qualcomm from further infringing on its wireless technology patents.

Qualcomm has stated it would try to overturn the verdict, and appeal the case if necessary.

A number of major mobile providers use Qualcomm chips, including Finnish company Nokia, which makes over one in three mobile phones sold globally.

Broadcom recently asked the US International Trade Commission to ban US sale of high-speed wireless phones that include Qualcomm's chips.