Arm is claiming victory in its four year licensing fight with Qualcomm after a Delaware federal jury awarded Qualcomm just $2 in nominal damages. Speaking to EE Times, Arm chief marketing officer Ami Badani said the jury awarded $1 for a licensing breach and $1 for interference with Qualcomm’s business relationship with Meta, while finding for Arm on other allegations, and argued the minimal penalty supports Arm’s position that it acted in good faith throughout the relationship.
The second half of Arm’s claim is judicial, not financial. Badani cited Bloomberg reporting on closing arguments that US District Judge Maryellen Noreika called Qualcomm’s request for court supervised good faith negotiation of licensing terms for Arm’s upcoming v10 architecture very, very drastic, and signalled the court would not act as a regulator of Arm’s business practices. A final written ruling on the remaining antitrust and licensing claims could take several weeks.
Despite the litigation, both companies continue to collaborate technically and commercially, and Badani said Qualcomm is not in her view seeking further money, but rather maximum value from the ongoing licensing relationship. That framing leaves the substantive dispute, what v10 will cost and on what terms, exactly where it was: in negotiation, now without a court looking over it.
The shadow over the verdict is the open alternative. Badani rejected the suggestion that RISC-V is gaining meaningful share from Arm outside China, where she attributed its growth to state backing. Qualcomm, meanwhile, acquired RISC-V processor designer Akeana last week, and researchers such as Barcelona Supercomputing Center director Mateo Valero told EE Times that closed instruction sets limit designers’ freedom to adapt cores for AI workloads. The jury priced the past conduct at $2. It did not price the architecture contest that conduct was about.