The FTC Joins Huawei on a Misguided Troll Hunt
The commission’s lawsuit against Qualcomm threatens to undermine American innovation.
Qualcomm, the American company whose technology turned cellphones into smartphones, can’t seem to get any respect lately. The chip designer was hauled in for trial this month in a suit the Federal Trade Commission filed in the final days of the Obama administration. The FTC claims Qualcomm violates antitrust laws by overcharging phone makers for using its patented technology like 4G in smartphones. The lawsuit threatens to weaken the patents that have secured the key innovations of the modern tech age.
The FTC’s star witness...