By Matt Williams - 1st October 2007
The European commission is to challenge US microchip maker Qualcomm over patent costs.
An investigation, which comes two weeks after the landmark ruling against Microsoft, will look at whether Qualcomm is overcharging for patents that are essential to the new generation of mobile phones and networks.
"The intellectual property covered by Qualcomm's patents forms an essential part of 3G standards...and the absence of fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory terms could constitute an abuse of its dominant position", said an EU official.
The commission stresses that there is no conclusive proof of an infringement, but if found guilty, Qualcomm could face fines of up to 10 per cent of its global turnover.
The president of Qualcomm Europe, Andrew Gilbert, dismissed the claims.
"We want to expose the myth of the allegations made by the complainants," he said.
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