Bye-bye, BlackBerry? (Federal court hearing scheduled for Friday that could lead to the shutdown)

http://news.com.com/Bye-bye%2C+BlackBerry/2100-1047_3-6042308.html ^ | Thu Feb 23 | Anne Broache

[Vaquero]

Dingle

[proxy_user]

I guess if you shut down the Blackberries of Congresscritters, they will pass a law to fix the problem.

They have the full authority to do so.

[GingisK]

Dingle Berry?

We call the people who are attached to the Blackberrys "Brown Berries" because they are ultimately attached to those whom they wish to impress.

[marine86297]

I just talked to Nextel yesterday about buying a Blackberry and was assured that there is a "patch" already prepared. From the sound of this, the "patch" may not cut it.

I'm not so sure I wanna buy a Blackberry now. Anyone know of anything better?

Semper Fidelis

[GovernmentShrinker]

This is fast becoming the most ludicrous legal proceeding in U.S. business history. NTP does not have final approval on ANY of these patents, and appears unlikely to get any, based on indications from the Patent Office. So meanwhile, they're being allowed to damage the business of the only user of the technology in question, and force that user to develop (at great expense) an alternative. If RIM actually has to switch to the workaround technology, they will make sure and keep tweaking it until it's at least as good as the technology they currently use, and make sure that it doesn't come clse to infringing any patent that NTP can reasonably lay any claim to. So by the time the glacial Patent Office finishes its work on these patents, even in the unlikely event that they do award NTP one or more of the patents, said patents will have been rendered virtually worthless by the development of RIM's alternative technology. It wouldn't be a bad idea for President Bush to issue some sort of executive order, postponing any shutdown of RIM's current system until the Patent Office renders its final decision, and simultaneously ordering the Patent Office get its act together and render a final decision quickly.

[nickcarraway]

They have full authority to take intellectual property from a U.S. company and give it to a Canadian company? It's nice to know the Constitution gives them that power.

[GovernmentShrinker]

I'm pretty darn fond of my Blackberry, and suspect that this whole thing will blow over without the need for any "patch". In the unlikely event that NTP actually does get awarded ANY of the patents in question, then what are they going to do with them? They're worth a lot more to RIM than to anybody else, and they aren't worth a penny to NTP unless it sells the patents or licenses the technology. Seller, meet highest bidder.

[smith288]

Verizons Treo with Windows Mobile 5 looks pretty sweet.

[NearlyNormal]

""I'm shocked that RIM hasn't settled," said Gary Abelev, a patent attorney with the New York law firm Dorsey & Whitney. The company had the opportunity to settle the case for $450 million last year, but that deal fell through. An injunction would prevent the sale of RIM's primary source of revenue in its largest market, effectively crippling the company."

Somehow this comment leads me to believe that RIM expects the US Government, itself a heavy user of Blackberry, to come to their defense at the 11th hour. Makes me wonder what, if any, "instructions" may have gone to the USPTO on their behalf.

[yobid]

Heck, I don't even own a cell phone. Don't want to be that accessible. However it's amusing watching every woman walking down the street yaking it up. Yak yak yak.....

[proxy_user]

I don't see property rights mentioned in the Constitution. That's really up to the states.

But in the case of patents and copyright, Congress is given explicit authority. They could pass a law making all patents expire in five minutes if they chose to do so.

[mikesmad]

I have not read the patents in depth, but after skimming over them I don't see how they can stand. They are so damn generic that they could shut down all email that uses any type of store and forward technology.

I suspect the patent office will throw out the patents eventually and if the judge had any sense he would wait to rule until the patent office has completed their review.

[KC Burke]

From UPI today:

WASHINGTON, DC, United States (UPI) -- U.S. patent authorities canceled one NTP Inc. patent that is part of the firm`s litigation against Research In Motion Ltd., maker of BlackBerrys.

The rejection of one of the five contested patents comes two days before a U.S. federal judge in Virginia was expected to rule on NTP`s request to close down BlackBerry operations, the Globe and Mail said.

The Patent and Trademark Office has rejected, in a preliminary review, the remaining four patents, and RIM said Wednesday it expects the office to formally reject those four patents shortly.

Investors and millions of BlackBerry users waited, meanwhile, to see if the patent office`s final decision would come before a possible court-ordered closure Friday of BlackBerry`s U.S. operations.

[KC Burke]

see my post 14

[KC Burke]

see 14

[1Old Pro]

Look up annoying in the Dictionary: "Trying to have a conversation with someone addicted to Blackberry as they pull it out and check the screen once every 10 seconds."

[mikesmad]

Thanks. The patents boiled down to one sentence read: "we will take incoming electronic data then forward it to another device". If that stood, then kiss email goodbye, kiss EDI goodbye, kiss the internet goodbye.

[untrained skeptic]

They have full authority to take intellectual property from a U.S. company and give it to a Canadian company? It's nice to know the Constitution gives them that power.

They can't just take it, but the can force them to lisence it for reasonable terms.

[ElTianti]

Black Barry