BlackBerry wins $814m Qualcomm patent-cap arbitration

BlackBerry has been awarded $814m in a patent arbitration action against Qualcomm.

Arbitration was sought on the subject of whether a Qualcomm royalty cap program applied to BlackBerry's non-refundable payments of royalties on a number of devices that were sold between 2010 and 2015.

According to Qualcomm, the cap was voluntary.

A final award on the amount embedded systems maker Qualcomm must make is expected on 30 May.

The firms agreed to seek arbitration in April 2016. It's binding and cannot be appealed.

BlackBerry chief executive John Chen in a statement stressed the companies' long-standing relationship.

"We are pleased the arbitration panel ruled in our favour and look forward to collaborating with Qualcomm in security for AISICs and solutions for the automotive industry," he said.

Qualcomm said it does not agree with the decision.

It noted the arbitration does not apply to anything other than the licence agreement Qualcomm had with BlackBerry. ®