Qualcomm faces $440M patent trial as court remands case

Qualcomm faces a renewed trial on patent infringement claims after the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit dismissed an expedited appeal for lack of jurisdiction. The appellate court remanded the patent dispute brought by ParkerVision back to the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida on October 1, 2026.

The dismissal returns the case to where it stood before the district court issued an order under Rule 54(b). The appellate court clarified that it did not rule on the merits of a third claim construction decision that previously resulted in a summary judgment dismissal of ParkerVision's receiver patent claims.

Following the remand, ParkerVision plans to pursue a jury trial regarding infringement of its transmitter patent claims. Based on an expert report submitted in the litigation, the damages demand for the transmitter portion stands at approximately $440 million, excluding potential interest. ParkerVision also plans to preserve its right to appeal the receiver claim construction once the district court issues a final ruling on the transmitter claims.

The Federal Circuit also rejected ParkerVision's request to reassign the litigation to a different district court judge. Jeffrey Parker, CEO of ParkerVision, described the ruling as procedural and expressed an intention to move quickly toward a jury trial on the transmitter technology.