Qualcomm-Nokia group wins dismissal of lawsuit by auto supplier

Continental AG, which makes control units for Daimler AG cars, can’t pursue antitrust claims against a group of patent owners including Qualcomm Inc. that are seeking royalties on telecommunications technology, a federal judge in Texas ruled.

Avanci LLC, a licensing pool formed by Qualcomm, Nokia Oyj, Sharp Corp. and other owners of patents on technology standards, isn’t violating antitrust laws when it negotiates license agreements with automakers rather than the component makers, District Court Judge Barbara Lynn said in dismissing the suit in a decision posted Friday.

The licensing group charges $15 per vehicle for the use of patented technology that’s key to an industry standard for 4G telecommunications, and is developing a price for 5G, the next generation of wireless technology that promises to alter everything from driverless cars to robotic surgery.