Finnish handset maker Nokia claimed a victory over US chip shop Qualcomm on Wednesday, as the US International Trade Commission (ITC) issued a ruling that Nokia had not infringed three Qualcomm patents.

Qualcomm filed suit against Nokia in 2006, alleging Nokia’s infringement on six patents.

But the US chip vendor voluntarily withdrew three of the six patents from its complaint, with the remaining three patents relating to power saving technologies within GSM/GPRS/EDGE chipsets.

But the ITC judge’s Initial Determination found no infringement or violation by Nokia of the three asserted Qualcomm patents.

“We are pleased with Judge Luckern’s decision and believe it is consistent with and supported by the facts,” said Rick Simonson, Nokia’s chief financial officer. “This decision confirms our belief that Qualcomm does not have relevant GSM patents.”

The judge’s Initial Determination will now be forwarded to the full ITC for review. The Commission is scheduled to make its final determination by April 14.

A similar lawsuit between Nokia and Qualcomm, relating to CDMA inventions, is at issue in Europe.