One of the technology industry’s most bitter legal disputes looked close to a resolution late on Wednesday after chip companies Qualcomm and Broadcom indicated that they were in late-stage settlement talks.

The possibility of a resolution led Qualcomm, the world’s biggest maker of mobile-phone chips, to put off the announcement of its latest quarterly earnings until the beginning of next week, prompting speculation that the outcome could have a significant impact on the numbers. However, the company said that its latest sales and earnings had met or exceeded its earlier forecasts.