IRVINE, CA – Qualcomm has filed a request for an emergency stay of a U.S. International Trade Commission ban on the import of some phones containing Qualcomm chips.
 
The move is a response to an ITC order that certain Qualcomm chips said to infringe a Broadcom Corp. patent be barred from importation into the U.S. The ban did not apply to phones that had been imported by June 7.
 
The ban affects several big name handset OEMs, including LG, Samsung and Motorola. LG has also filed for a stay of the ITC decision.
 
Meanwhile, also on Monday, it was revealed Nokia and Qualcomm have filed countersuits alleging patent infringement.
 
The ITC finding, which is subject to review for 60 days, was the latest action in a longstanding dispute between Qualcomm and Broadcom. The ITC found that Qualcomm's cellular baseband chips infringe five patent claims.
 
Broadcom has also pursued patent infringement claims against Qualcomm in Santa Ana, CA, where on May 29 a federal jury found Qualcomm liable for willfully infringing nine claims of three different Broadcom patents. The jury awarded Broadcom $19.6 million in damages, which may be trebled by the judge because of willful infringement.

Even as the mobile phone wars heat up, a new front comes from Apple, which will enter the fray on June 29 with its touted iPhone. That device is not subject to the Qualcomm import ban, and the legal actions over the latter’s chipset may boost demand for the latest handset entrant.