The bitter patent dispute between US patent holder NTP and BlackBerry maker Research In Motion (RIM) got even hotter following NTP's accusation that RIM used "political clout" to try to sway the US patent office
An Associated Press report said NTP's reaction came a day before a federal judge in Richmond was set to hear arguments on a possible injunction on US BlackBerry sales and service.
The report quoted an NTP statement as saying that "NTP believes that RIM has utilized its money, power and political influence to overcome its complete defeat in the court system and to inappropriately influence the US Patent Office process."
Analysts believed an actual BlackBerry blackout was highly unlikely, the report said.
Earlier reports said the US Patent and Trademark Office had issued a final rejection of one of five patents at the core of the court case.
NTP, however, claimed the agency had been pressured by lobbyists and officials from Canada, where the BlackBerry's meteoric success had made RIM a corporate darling, the report said.