Uncle Sam Could Save ‘Berry From Squish
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Written By Reprise Media | February 2, 2006 | Share This
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Although the current administration in Washington has recently shown little interest in defending the planet’s imperiled species, it might well step in to save an endangered Blackberry.
In a possible boon to friends and family of the wireless email device’s so-called “Crackberry” addicts (not to mention millions of tortured thumbs across the country), a US District Court judge could rule Feb. 24 that parent company Research In Motion (RIM) must shut down their network over the infringement claims of NTP, a holding company created to protect the patents of a deceased inventor that offers no services of products of its own.
Despite the lawsuit, Blackberry’s not quite dead yet. As the BBC reports, Blackberry counts many devotees in government, including White House and Department of Justice employees; using a claim of “exceptional public interest,” they are attempting to persuade the judge to delay his ruling until the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has fully reviewed all of the disputed claims.
If the judge bows to government pressure, that could mean good news for Blackberry: according to BetaNews, USPTO issued a non-final ruling yesterday that all five of the NTP’s claims are invalid. Although final rulings are likely several months away, they will almost certainly be in RIM’s favor. But the judge has previously indicated that he is not inclined to wait so long to finish the case.
The buzzards are already circling. Information Week says that Blackberry rival Visto is prepared to step in and provide similar wireless email service to Blackberry customers within 30 days after the shut-down ruling, should it occur. And unlike Blackberry, Visto’s service would be available on 75 mobile devices across a handful of wireless networks.
That said, the buzzards may have to fight each other off. Earlier this week Visto itself filed suit, alleging that competitor Good Technology is in violation of a number of their patents. If all of this is making your head spin, check out Cnet’s excellent (and thorough) Blackberry shut-down FAQ.
Topics: Wireless & Mobile |