The legal battle between Qualcomm and ARM has taken a new turn. After winning an important court dispute over the use of licenses related to the Arm architecture, Qualcomm has now filed an antitrust complaint against the British firm with the antitrust regulators in the United States, the European Union, and South Korea.
This legal move comes just a few months after a court ruled in favor of Qualcomm against Arm in a dispute over intellectual property stemming from the acquisition of Nuvia. This startup, purchased by Qualcomm in 2021, developed the high-performance CPU cores called “Oryon,” which are used in the new Snapdragon SoCs for both mobile devices and personal computers.
From courtroom victory to antitrust front
The initial dispute began when ARM accused Qualcomm of using non-transferable licenses following the purchase of Nuvia. Arm argued that previous agreements did not allow for Nuvia’s designs to be used under new ownership without renegotiating the terms. However, the court’s ruling was clear: Qualcomm could continue developing chips based on that technology without needing to pay additional royalties to Arm. This legal victory marked a turning point.
Rather than stopping there, Qualcomm has chosen to go on the offensive. According to reports, the American company has formally, though confidentially, filed complaints with the European Commission, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in the United States, and the Korea Fair Trade Commission. In these complaints, it accuses Arm of modifying its licensing models to limit access to its technologies, restrict competition, and strengthen its market position through unfair practices.
A threatened ecosystem
In its filing, Qualcomm alleges that Arm is breaking away from its traditional model of open licensing, an approach that has historically been key to the growth of the Arm-based processor ecosystem. According to the American company, Arm is now adopting a more restrictive strategy, pushing its own reference designs for computing subsystems (CSS) for both customers and data centers, which could negatively affect companies like Qualcomm that develop customized solutions based on that architecture.
Qualcomm argues that these practices not only represent a drastic change in Arm’s licensing policy but also create a conflict of interest by attempting to compete directly with its own licensees.
Arm responds, and the standoff continues
So far, ARM has denied all accusations. The company has reiterated its commitment to innovation, fair competition, and adherence to contractual agreements. In a statement, it labeled Qualcomm’s actions as an attempt to divert attention from a broader commercial dispute.
The investigation by regulators could take months or even years, but it opens the door to a possible intervention that could redefine the balance of power in the semiconductor industry, especially at a time when the ARM architecture has become a cornerstone of mobile devices, servers, and new efficient computing environments.
In the meantime, the industry is closely watching this new legal standoff between two heavyweights in the sector, the resolution of which could shape the future of innovation and competition in the field of processors.
Reference: Bloomberg