Judge Halts Qualcomm Ban

A federal court has stayed the government’s ban on imports featuring certain Qualcomm chips, acting on a request by several manufacturers who use the chips, the AP reported Thursday.

The Manufacturers, as well as AT&T, argued that the ban, imposed in June by the U.S. International Trade Commission as part of a legal dispute between Qualcomm and Broadcom, unfairly impacted them. Judge Haldane R. Mayer agreed, and allowed companies other than Qualcomm to import the disputed chips. The ruling means the manufacturers can go ahead with new launches this fall that contain the disputed technology.

The Trade Commission in June banned the importation of the chips, which an earlier court had found violated Broadcom-held patents. President Bush, who had the power to unilaterally veto the ban, declined to do so last month.