New York (CNN Business)Qualcomm, the world's largest maker of smartphone modems and microchips, illegally charges companies sky-high prices to license its technology, a federal judge ruled Tuesday. In a case brought to court in 2017 by the US Federal Trade Commission, District Court Judge Lucy Koh said Qualcomm should not receive a percentage of sales of each phone a company sells; instead, it should receive a much smaller amount based on what Qualcomm technology exists inside the phone.