Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ: QCOM) today received courtesy copies of two Statements of Objections (SO) from the European Commission relating to separate matters involving Qualcomm’s chipset business. A Statement of Objections informs the subject of the investigation of the allegations against it and provides an opportunity to respond to such allegations. It is not a determination of the final outcome of the investigation. Qualcomm has several months to respond to the preliminary allegations in each SO.
“Qualcomm has been cooperating with the Commission since the outset of these matters, and now that we’ve received the Statements of Objections, we welcome the chance to formally respond,” said Qualcomm general counsel and executive vice president, Don Rosenberg. “We look forward to demonstrating that competition in the sale of wireless chips has been and remains strong and dynamic, and that Qualcomm’s sales practices have always complied with European competition law.”
The matters were previously disclosed by the Company. One SO concerns the supply of Qualcomm’s chipsets to a single customer under an existing agreement. The other SO concerns Qualcomm’s sales to two customers from 2009 through 2011 of three chipsets incorporated into dongles – small USB devices that at the time were used to provide cellular connectivity for laptops.
Separately, the Taiwan Fair Trade Commission (“TFTC”) has requested information from the Company, and has initiated an investigation into whether the Company’s patent licensing arrangements violate the Taiwan Fair Trade Act (the “Act”). This matter is in its early stages. The Company believes it complies with the Act and will cooperate with the TFTC’s investigation.
