Qualcomm's general counsel steps down as legal battles with Broadcom rage on

By Colleen Taylor, Contributing Editor -- 8/13/2007

The legal turmoil rages on for embattled communications chip company Qualcomm Inc. The company announced today that Lou Lupin has resigned his position as executive VP and general counsel for Qualcomm.

Further details on the reasons for Lupin's resignation were not immediately provided by Qualcomm. The company said that Carol Lam, senior VP and legal counsel, will serve as acting general counsel of Qualcomm while a nationwide executive search is conducted for a new general counsel.

"We are appreciative of Lou's many valuable contributions to the company," Paul E. Jacobs, Qualcomm's CEO, said in a statement. "His counsel and direction on legal matters and intellectual property expertise and strategy has greatly benefited the company."

Lupin's exit comes as Qualcomm's legal woes show no signs of slowing down, with several blistering rulings coming against the company just last week. The International Trade Commission (ITC) is on track to enact an widely impacting ban on the importation of a number of Qualcomm chips that have been found to infringe a patent owned by rivaling communications technology company Broadcom Corp., after the Bush administration announced last week that it would not provide Qualcomm with the requested veto  of the ITC's order. 

Also last week, a U.S. district court judge reportedly doubled a $19.64 million damages award that Qualcomm had previously been ordered to pay to Broadcom for its alleged infringement of three separate Broadcom patents. That judge is scheduled tomorrow to evaluate Broadcom's request for a permanent injunction against Qualcomm related to the three patents.

In addition, last week a San Diego federal court dismissed patent infringement claims that Qualcomm had lobbied against Broadcom, ruling that because Qualcomm has engaged in "aggravated litigation misconduct and standards abuse" with respect to two of its own patents, it has thereby waived its rights to enforce all claims of the two patents.

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