EU drops proceedings against Qualcomm

BRUSSELS Nov 24 (Reuters) - The European Commission said on Tuesday it had closed formal anti-trust proceedings against U.S. chip maker Qualcomm as complaints against the firm had been dropped.

Ericsson (ERICb.ST), the world's biggest mobile networks maker, said on Tuesday it had withdrawn a complaint to European authorities over Qualcomm's (QCOM.O) licensing practices as two Asian authorities had already ruled against the U.S. firm.

"All complainants have now withdrawn or indicated their intention to withdraw their complaints, and the Commission has therefore to decide where best to focus its resources and priorities," the EU executive said in a statement.

"In view of this, the Commission does not consider it appropriate to invest further resources in this case." (Reporting by David Brunnstrom) ((david.brunnstrom@reuters.com ; +32 2 287 6839; Reuters Messaging: david.brunnstrom.reuters.com@reuters.net ))