Earlier this year Research In Motion, decided to settle its patent litigation with NTP, for $450 million. The idea was settle this issue, and remove the only question carriers have about RIM and get on with their business. Well, looks like RIM, makers of Blackberry, just might have settled too soon. Business Week reports that US Patent office has reopened the files on NTP and re-examining their patents. The report says that all 2000 claims against NTP’s eight patents including five that RIM allegedly infringed will be reexamined. Patent officials have rejected all 523 claims NTP made on three of those patents, Business Week says. RIM officials aren’t saying anything and declined to make any statements even during their conference calls. There are rumors doing rounds that maybe the deal between NTP and RIM is not final. Did RIM force NTP to issue a statement just to get rid of negativity? Anyway this is yet another episode of the crazy patent saga that is RIM, NTP and everyone else.
Om, do you know if a patent is declared invalid then a company that has paid for the bogus patent can recoup the licensing fees paid?
see that’s the thing. RIM is not talking at all – i think they might have a binding agreement or not. they should clear up the situation, but instead they are refusing to make any public statements. i guess their lawyers have them clammed up totally,.