A View on View :: RIM's Legal Woes

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RIM's Legal Woes

by Mark Evans on Mon 13 Jun 2005 10:53 AM EDT | Permanent Link

A colleague of mine, Kevin Restivo, has an analysis piece in today's National Post about Research in Motion's ongoing (never ending?) dispute with NTP. He believes NTP's group of investors simply want to squeeze more money out of RIM - as if US$450 million isn't enough. The dispute, which has been pushed back to a U.S. court, is apparently focused over RIM's ability to sub-license the technology it has licensed from NTP. RIM insists it has agreement to do it; NTP thinks overwise. Rob Hyndman also weighs into the debate by citing press releases issued by the two companies in March. He suggests RIM and NTP both appeared to think they had a deal done. At times like this, I wish I was a corporate IP lawyer given RIM's legal fees are running into the millions of dollars.

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Re: RIM's Legal Woes

by MarkFan on Mon 13 Jun 2005 02:38 PM EDT | Profile | Permanent Link

The problem for RIM is that while they're tied up in the courts, firms like Good Technology are busy licensing out their software to a growing number of companies that are trying to ape RIM's business model. You also have to wonder how long it will take someone like HP, which earlier this year promised a "BlackBerry killer" mobile device, to woo away corporate customers who don't want to find themselves at the wrong end of a BlackBerry injunction.

You rule, Mark!

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