NTP Has Another Patent Invalidated -- RIM's Strategy Looking Smarter

from the bailing-out-on-the-deal... dept

It's looking increasingly like the momentum is shifting in RIM's favor in their patent suit against NTP. RIM finally gave in to NTP's patent demands rather than face the potential ban on selling their Blackberry devices in the US -- but did so just a few weeks before one of the patents in question was invalidated by the patent office. Since then, RIM started making noises about how they could no longer agree to the final details on the original license agreement and how they had figured out a workaround even if the patents were found valid. Well, now RIM can cheer a bit more, as yet another patent has been tossed out, as the Patent Office admits it never should have been granted. NTP, of course, will try to get the Patent Office to reconsider (they have at least RIM's $450 million riding on it, plus other licensing deals) -- but the situation is looking more difficult for them. Of course, you have to wonder, if the Patent Office now admits that they shouldn't have granted this patent in the first place, shouldn't they be liable for the millions of dollars in wasted legal fees and licenses (not to mention innovations that never got built out of fear of expensive licensing) that resulted from this bogus patent?

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