Broadcom Corp. on Thursday filed a patent infringement suit and an unfair trade practices complaint against chip designer Qualcomm Inc.

Broadcom of Irvine claims San Diego-based Qualcomm’s devices infringe 10 Broadcom patents related to wireless communications, cellular baseband, radio frequency and multimedia chip technologies.

Broadcom said it’s looking to protect its technology, as the cell phone industry transitions from voice-only services to video, data and other multimedia services.

The chipmaker filed two patent complaints Wednesday in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. It’s looking to bar Qualcomm from making several of its communications chips and is seeking monetary damages.

Broadcom also said it filed a complaint with the U.S. International Trade Commission, alleging that Qualcomm engaged in unfair trade practices by importing integrated circuits and other products that infringe five Broadcom patents.

Broadcom wants the commission to block Qualcomm from importing the devices. The company expects the investigation will start in late June and that the case will be tried early next year.

Broadcom said it holds 955 U.S. patents and has filed more than 3,200 other patent applications.

The chipmaker has been among Orange County’s most active buyers and protectors of patents, filing at least 12 patent suits since 1996, according to Menlo Park-based legal research company iPriori Inc.

*Mike Mason of the Orange County Business Journal contributed to this story.