Posted on 01/28/2006 4:19:01 PM PST by chet_in_ny
The next legal skirmish for Research in Motion in its long-running patent battle with NTP will take place Feb. 24 in a federal courtroom closely watched by customers worried that RIM's BlackBerry service could be shut down.
U.S. District Court Judge James Spencer this week set the date for a hearing to consider a possible injunction against RIM, maker of the BlackBerry wireless e-mail device. NTP has asked the court to close down the BlackBerry service in the U.S. and the manufacture and sale of the handhelds themselves. Both companies are scheduled to file opposing arguments in the case with Judge Spencer by Feb. 1.
Right around the time the parties will be meeting in Judge Spencer's courtroom, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) may be moving toward a final resolution of the NTP patents at the heart of this dispute. Last December, the office issued another set of preliminary rulings that found NTP's patents to be invalid. NTP's response is due by Feb. 28.
A report this week by analysts at investment banker Goldman Sachs noted that "NTP must prove that these patents contain new inventions on several key patents by Feb. 28 or face the PTO permanently rejecting the patents," the authors wrote. "If the PTO issues final rejections on any or all of the five NTP patents, this could change the course of the lawsuit. To the extent that patents are ruled invalid, we believe that it is likely that this would be considered by the District Court."
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
I almost bought one before all this bru-ha-ha broke out. Surprised I didn't buy one and get stuck with it while all this mess rages on. I am not usually a lucky person, which KEEPS ME OUT OF THE CASINOS! What a mess this all is!
Just went to yahoo and read the entire article and noticed this date.... Feb. 24 .... that is my birthday!
No, you're not misunderstanding anything. The Treo is a fine device, but I do love my PocketPC 6700.
I just went to the site and the article was accompanied by a big ad for TREO 700. LOL
Guess this may have been my first and last blackberry live report . . . http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1499204/posts
The TREO 700 model has pocket windows. I don't know if they are doing away with palm OS or not.
I actually wanted a Windows-based phone, but the model available at the time I was buying was pretty cheap looking compared to the Treo.
I find it rather odd that the patent office, the same bumch that lets Amazon patentent clicking a mouse to buy something, is not trying mightily to overturn this patent because of the squeeling of government crackberry addicts.
Other companies (palm) have units out that don't infringe and do all the same things a the blackberrys.
You can't be for defending personal property and still root for the patent office or the courts to everturn this patent.
Afterall, its not about shutting blackberry down, its about them paying for what they used.
I'm planning on getting the Sprint version of Treo this week.
Mine is a Sprint too. Are they selling the 700 yet?
There is always Palm.
That's been a problem. There are some really great SmartPhone and PocketPC phones, but invariably the one you want isn't offered by your provider. For example, the Audiovox SMT-5600 is the best SmartPhone going, but only Cingular offers it.
Now that Windows Mobile 5.0 is out, some really great (and reasonably sized) PocketPC phones are starting to come to market. Like the new Treos and the 6700.
I don't think so, but Palm licensed the Outlook client from Microsoft to get some corporate market share from Blackberry.
"Are they selling the 700 yet?" Shoot, I have no idea. I just know that my old palm pilot is starting to buzz.
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