Qualcomm is in yet another legal standoff, this time on the smartphone side of the Snapdragon brand.
Qualcomm recently won most of its defense case against Arm over the Snapdragon X Elite chipsets, with a second suit (this time brought by Qualcomm) slated to hit the courts next year.
Per PhoneArena, this new suit against Qualcomm was brought by Collabo Innovations. Collabo is a wholly-owned subsidiary of WiLan, a company that states it is "critical to protect innovative technology by creating patents that describe and claim the innovative concepts." A Google search of Collabo Innovations primarily results in information about lawsuits it has filed for patent infringement.
This suit by Collabo against Qualcomm pertains to patented technology that Collabo acquired from Panasonic.
Whether you're invested in the Snapdragon name on laptops or phones, there's reason to watch for legal news involving Qualcomm.
But, before you get too concerned, here's what you need to know:
Qualcomm's new legal battle
Collabo's suit against Qualcomm hinges on a microcontroller on Snapdragon chips that handles the system's shutdown process. The lawsuit's outcome could affect how Qualcomm makes all of its phone and tablet chipsets in the future.
The vast majority — estimates range between 95-97% — of patent suits are settled, often with the defendant paying royalties or a sum of damages to the aggrieved party. Or those cases are settled before they go to trial with a monetary agreement between both companies.
However, that's not been Qualcomm's style as of late. Qualcomm recently requested that the judge dismiss Collabo's suit, but this request was deemed premature for this particular case.
A representative for Qualcomm clarified to PhoneArena, stating, "The court’s order is an early procedural step that doesn’t address the ultimate merits of the case. We look forward to briefing the issues again at a later time, as suggested by the court."
It appears Qualcomm intends to see the suit thrown out, even with extra steps involved in the process.
Qualcomm's ongoing suit with Arm
Qualcomm and Arm went to trial in December 2024, with Arm alleging Qualcomm had violated its licensing agreement by using the Oryon CPU cores in the Snapdragon X Series of PC chipsets, and that Qualcomm violated its agreement with Arm by puchasing a tech startup called Nuvia in 2021.
The jury ruled in favor of Qualcomm on these two points of contention.
Arm also alleged that Nuvia also violated its licensing agreement with Arm by providing those CPU designs to Qualcomm after Qualcomm acquired the startup in 2021. This was the question that left the jury hung and would likely not be resolved as Nuvia no longer exists as a separate entity.
Qualcomm is bringing a countersuit against Arm that will go to trial in early 2026, alleging Arm launched a campaign against Qualcomm to stifle competition and impede innovation.
That filing was recently amended to accuse Arm of misrepresenting itself, as Arm confirmed under oath that it is merely a chipset design firm, and not a "chipmaker." However, recent rumors of Arm launching its own chips have brought that claim under scrutiny.
The state of Snapdragon
Qualcomm's legal battle against Collabo Innovations is still in its early days, but it seems unlikely the outcome would prevent Qualcomm from continuing to manufacture the Snapdragon 8 chipsets that power flagship Android phones and tablets like the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.
Worst case, Snapdragon phones and tablets could become a bit more expensive. But that's more likely to be caused by the US foreign manufacturing tariffs rather than a legal standoff.
The state of Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Series of laptop and miniPC chipsets is protected by the outcome of the first trial with Arm. Which means Qualcomm can go ahead with the Snapdragon X Elite Gen 2 launch currently slated for early next year.
Qualcomm is expected to announce the second generation of Snapdragon X computer chips at Snapdragon Summit this fall. While this does leave Qualcomm with an almost two-year gap in generations, the company is "not worried about competitors."
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