Judge halts Nokia-Qualcomm patent trial

A US judge stopped legal proceedings Tuesday in the battle between Qualcomm and Nokia over wireless technology patents.

Judge Robert L. Barton Jr. of the US International Trade Commission gave no explanation why he called an end to proceedings in his written order of two sentences.

The delay comes just six weeks before a key licensing agreement expires between Nokia and chip firm Qualcomm.

The trial for the patent dispute had been scheduled for Monday.

Qualcomm alleges that Nokia infringed its patents for a widely used global system for mobile communication.