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RIM Settles Long-Standing Blackberry Claim

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the end-to-a-long-and-sordid-tale dept.

David Jao writes "Research in Motion has agreed to pay 612.5 million dollars for a 'full and final settlement of all claims' resulting from the NTP patent lawsuit against the makers of BlackBerry. According to the article, the settlement is 'on the low end of expectations', perhaps because the patents in question had earlier been preliminarily ruled invalid by the US Patents & Trademarks Office." Many article submitters characterize this move as 'giving in' to NTP's tactics. What do you think?

5 of 295 comments (clear)

  1. I'll tell you what I think by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    I think I've gotta get me one of them patent thingies.

  2. What do I think? by Fear+the+Clam · · Score: 1, Funny

    I think most people who use Blackberries are complete and utter asshats.

    If they're not top posting, dropping attachments, or bitching because they can't see the website (the one they told to be designed for IE and damn everyone else), they're pounding away on that thing in meetings, giving everyone else half their attention.

    Sent from my Verizon Wireless Blackberry. Because I'm a fucking tool.

  3. Re:612.5 million?! by clem · · Score: 3, Funny

    Yeah, it's like you're a shark.

    --
    Your courageous and selfless spelling corrections have made me a better person.
  4. Re:Remember the GPL by MinutiaeMan · · Score: 2, Funny

    >> The GPL pretty much bound IBM to not settle.

    IANAL, but I don't think that the GPL had all that much to do with it. Certainly SCO was raising a hell of a fuss over the GPL for a while (some of their funniest moments, those), but it never seemed to be all of the core of the issue -- as far as I've understood it (and I've been reading GrokLaw for quite a while), it's mainly been (supposedly) about breach of contract. Everything else seems to have stemmed from that initial charge. Apparently, anyway. I seriously doubt that IBM is idealistic enough to simply be going to this friggin' huge expense simply to uphold the GPL, contract or not. Otherwise the GPL would be forming a much greater part of IBM's arguments.

    No, IBM is fighting back because (1) they know that SCO has no case whatsoever, (2) they need to defend their "good name" in this regard because they see profit in the Linux business going forward, and (3) because the Nazgul haven't been fed in a while and they're getting hungry again.

  5. Your sig by Schraegstrichpunkt · · Score: 2, Funny
    Are there any good alternatives to slashdot?

    Yes, here.

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    http://outcampaign.org/