A federal court in Texas has declined to dismiss a patent infringement lawsuit filed against Qualcomm Inc., involving the company’s Snapdragon processors. The case, brought by Collabo Innovations Inc., alleges that Qualcomm’s processors infringe on a microcontroller patent owned by Collabo.

U.S. District Judge Alan Albright ruled on Thursday that Qualcomm’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit was premature and better suited for consideration at a later summary judgment stage, after claim construction issues are resolved. The judge noted ongoing disagreements over the interpretation of key terms such as “microcontroller,” emphasizing that “disposition of this case based on the construction or prosecution history of [the disputed term] is premature.”

Collabo Innovations, headquartered in Plano, Texas, acquired the patent from Panasonic. The patent covers a specialized microchip designed to control system shutdown processes. Collabo has an extensive litigation history in the patent space, having initiated similar suits against other technology companies since 2015.

The lawsuit specifically targets Qualcomm’s Snapdragon brand of central processing units. The case was transferred to Judge Albright’s court in November 2024, following objections from Qualcomm regarding the reassignment, but citing Collabo’s prior litigation history before the same judge.

The patent at issue is U.S. Patent No. 7,930,575.

Collabo Innovations is represented by Edward R. Nelson III, Ryan P. Griffin, Jonathan H. Rastegar, and David T. DeZern of Nelson Bumgardner Conroy PC. Qualcomm’s legal team includes Anupam Sharma and Richard L. Rainey of Covington & Burling LLP, and Deron R. Dacus of The Dacus Firm PC.

Case Reference: Collabo Innovations Inc. v. Qualcomm Inc. et al., Case No. 6:24-cv-00472, U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas.