[DRB]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10265694/

BlackBerry maker Research In Motion Ltd. was pushed closer to a possible shutdown of its popular U.S. mobile e-mail service after a judge refused to delay a patent infringement case.

U.S. District Judge James Spencer Wednesday ruled invalid a $450 million settlement between RIM and NTP Inc., a small patent holding firm of McLean, Va., that maintains the technology behind the popular BlackBerry infringes on its patents.

Spencer’s decisions raise more uncertainties for BlackBerry users in the United States, where most of the company’s 3.65 million customers are based. The judge could next consider re-issuing an injunction that threatens to shut down BlackBerry service in this country. Spencer granted an injunction in 2003 after the patent-holding company successfully sued RIM in the U.S. District Court for Eastern Virginia, but the ruling was stayed pending appeal.

 

[ThePriceSeliger]

I don't care, I have Sprint.

 

[Ridemonkey]

That sucks...RIM was started by University student in a little town near here. Rags to riches kinda deal from what I recall...oh well, I'm sure he has his money out by now.

 

[JRB]

I hated my blackberry. The device, not the service.

 

[Tenchiro]

That sucks...RIM was started by University student in a little town near here. Rags to riches kinda deal from what I recall...oh well, I'm sure he has his money out by now.

Went to college but wasn't smart enough to avoid patent violations.

 

[Transcend]

Have you seen the patent? It is ridiculous. Same way that the browser plugin patent is ridiculous.

 

[Silver]

Anyone have the gist of the patents? I'm willing to bet that they are pretty vague process patents.

You're going to see more of this, by the way. Big firms are patenting everything under the sun just so they have a big warchest of patents ready to bargain with. It's a little like MAD.

 

[Tenchiro]

I remember when the right click process was patented. Around the same time the hotlink concept was.

 

[Transcend]

I remember when the right click process was patented. Around the same time the hotlink concept was.

Ya, businesses and the us patent office are out of control.

Silver: they are indeed process patents. I believe it is the whole idea of "push" technologies. IE you get your email basically forwaded to the phone, without the phone needing to poll the server.