As expected, Judge James Spencer denied RIM's request to stay the BlackBerry patent lawsuit and also refused to impose the $450 million settlement the two companies had discussed back in June. Spencer did not issue an injunction against RIM to stop all sales and service of BlackBerry devices in the US. Spencer said he would request briefs and set a hearing date to deal with the remaining issues of the injunction and damages.
NTP is hoping that Spencer's ruling will convince RIM to reach a settlement. NTP said the sum would not necessarily be higher than the $450 million, as many analysts have speculated. However, RIM doesn't seem willing to consider any new figures. After the ruling, the company said that it is continuing to prepare an appeal to the US Supreme Court. Apparently the company sees the Supreme Court's recent decision to review a patent-related injunction against eBay as a good sign for its case. However, many analysts think that RIM has worn out its legal possibilities and will end up paying about $700 million to put an end to the lawsuit.
For more on the latest development for RIM, NTP:
- check out this article [1] from The New York Times
PLUS: RIM fights for patents in the UK, too. Article [2]
Links:
[1] http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/01/business/01rimm.html?ex=1291093200&en=2541386116ce5df3&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss
[2] http://www.globetechnology.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20051130/RRIM30/TPTechnology/