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Feds Enter Blackberry Fray

Posted by CowboyNeal on from the say-it-ain't-so dept.

Rick Zeman writes "Blackberry addicted US Feds have entered into the patent dispute between Canadian company Research in Motion and US patent-holders NTP. From the article: 'The Justice Department has filed a legal brief in a patent dispute, asking a federal court to delay any immediate shutdown of the popular wireless e-mail system to ensure that state and federal workers can continue to use their devices.' Apparently 10% of US Blackberry users are government users."

4 of 226 comments (clear)

  1. US Government dependence of foreign corporation by Tontoman · · Score: 5, Informative

    One odd element of this dispute is this: Canada has also filed amicus brief in the case. http://patentlaw.typepad.com/patent/2005/01/canada _challeng.html Canada argues that essential part of their system, the email relay operation, is located entirely in Canada. Therefore US government is saying they have put a foreign corporation (Blackberry LTD) in the critical path of essential government communication.

    1. Re:US Government dependence of foreign corporation by Jeff+DeMaagd · · Score: 3, Informative

      Therefore US government is saying they have put a foreign corporation (Blackberry LTD) in the critical path of essential government communication.

      Actually, given the history, I don't see that as a problem. The Crackberries were supposedly the most effective means of communication between many Federal employees following the 9/11 disaster after many other means of communication had failed or was gridlocked. It was successful enough that they've expanded their purchasing of the devices.

  2. They can do more if they want. by Distan · · Score: 3, Informative

    Since they are a department of the government, they can simply ignore the patent and indemnify RIMM from any patent liability as far as government workers go.

    Patents don't apply to the government, unless the government wants them to. By extension, they don't apply to suppliers making things for the government.

  3. Re:US Government dependence - MOD Parent DOWN by mmkkbb · · Score: 3, Informative

    How can you claim that 10% of government users having Blackberries constitute essential infrastructure? Are you trying to claim that the Blackberries are their only source of email service?

    Re-read the summary. 10% of Blackberry users are in the US government.

    --
    -mkb