Qualcomm Lobbied on Patents, Immigration
Thursday March 27, 3:10 pm ET
Qualcomm Spent $6.8 Million in 2007 to Lobby, Fought Against Patent Reform Legislation WASHINGTON (AP) -- Qualcomm Inc., a chipmaker for cell phones, spent $6.8 million in 2007 to lobby on legislation related to patent and immigration reforms, free trade agreements and other matters.
The San Diego-based company spent nearly $4 million in the second half of 2007 to lobby Congress, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the Commerce, Transportation, State and Agriculture departments, according to a disclosure form posted online Feb. 13 by the Senate's public records office.
Qualcomm and many small tech companies oppose patent reform legislation supported by the likes of Apple Inc. and Microsoft Corp. that have said it would improve patent quality and reduce litigation. Supporters also say reform will give examiners more information and allow for post-approval evaluation. But Qualcomm, joined by pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, has said the legislation would weaken patent protection by reducing infringement penalties and permitting challenges to patents after they've been approved. The House approved the legislation, but the bill is still pending in the Senate.
The company also lobbied on rival Broadcom Corp.'s patent infringement case against it over cell phone technology. The U.S. International Trade Commission ruled last year that Qualcomm infringed on a Broadcom patent that conserves battery power in cell phones. In January, a federal judge ordered Qualcomm to stop selling data chips that infringe on three Broadcom patents.
Some other lobbying issues for Qualcomm include: immigration reform legislation, namely increasing the cap on U.S. visas for highly skilled foreign tech workers; tax credits for research and development; free trade agreements; health information technology; and homeland security matters.
The company spent nearly $2.9 million in the first six months of 2007 to lobby on largely the same issues.
Lobbyists are required to disclose activities that could influence members of the executive and legislative branches, under a federal law enacted in 1995
