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Qualcomm is in a strange position. They’re being blocked from patent infringement by chip maker Broadcom on one hand. On the other, they’re filing their own patent suits. These are aimed at Nokia, the world’s No.1 handset maker, for infringing on some of their GSM patents. Qualcomm is seeking injunctions to bar Nokia from selling phones in violation of those patents in the U.K. But they lost. To date, they have not been able to trump Nokia, and with each loss, the chances of a future victory diminishes. Yes, this might play out, as Qualcomm has filed 11 suits in total.

“We are pleased with the Court’s decision that the patent claims are invalid and believe it is consistent with and supported by the facts,” said Nokia Chief Financial Officer Rick Simonson. “This is the second court to conclude that Qualcomm does not have relevant and valid GSM patents.”

This confused me at first a bit, since Qualcomm is most commonly associated with CDMA technology, which it developed. But they do have a GSM division, and want to protect their interests there. Unfortunately, it appears they do not have many.

The two companies did have a patent-licensing agreement, though that expired last April. They have been in court over the fees, which Nokia — among others — says are excessive.

Analyst Richard Windsor thinks that not much will come of these proceedings:

“Qualcomm is weak in GSM and we think it has been deploying a strategy of firing out legal long-shots,” said Windsor. “The hope is that a victory in one of these cases will bring Nokia to the negotiating table, but, so far, it’s not achieved this.”

“The main focus now is going to be the Delaware case in July,” said Windsor. “However, it’s our view that Qualcomm is unlikely to prevail in that case either.”

Looks like Qualcomm just can’t buy a win in court.

[Associated Press]

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