Court blocks parts of FTC’s antitrust win over Qualcomm

SAN FRANCISCO – A federal appeals court is temporarily protecting Qualcomm from an antitrust ruling that would have forced the mobile chipmaker to drastically change how it licenses key technology for connecting smartphones to the internet.

Friday’s stay granted by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals will prevent the Federal Trade Commission from enforcing key provisions of a lower court ruling that said Qualcomm abused its patents to stifle competition.

As part of her decision, U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh ordered reforms that Qualcomm argued would have unfairly eroded its revenue and potentially given away its technological secrets. The stay will prevent that from happening while Qualcomm pursues its appeal.

The FTC says it’s disappointed by the stay.