RIM Extends Software Middle Finger To NTP
With momentum in its long-running patent battle shifting back to NTP and the threat of an injuction that would shut down the company’s Blackberry service in the US, Research In Motion says it’s got a software update it can roll out that works around NTP’s patent claims and will keep its service up and running. RIM’s mentioned the software change before, but said it hasn’t implemented it yet because it was only just completed. While making the change might still leave RIM liable for past damages to NTP, it could also just be a stall tactic from RIM, given that the judge in the case has said he wants to proceed quickly and won’t wait for the Patent Office to finish its review of the NTP patents. While the momentum might be going the other way, RIM seems pretty confident that if it can delay things long enough, the matter will eventually work out in its favor.
