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RIM Facing $147.2 Million Patent Verdict

Posted by Soulskill on from the kicking-them-when-they're-down dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Reuters reports that beleaguered wireless device maker Research In Motion is on the losing end of a patent suit that will cost them $147.2 million. The jury arrived at that number by assigning an $8 royalty for every BlackBerry connected to RIM's enterprise server software. Unsurprisingly, RIM intends to appeal the decision. 'Mformation sued RIM in 2008, bringing claims on a patent for a process that remotely manages a wireless device over a wireless network, a court filing says. According to its web site, Mformation helps corporations manage their smart phone inventory. The company also says it helps telecoms operators, such as AT&T and Sprint, with remote fixes and upgrades for users' gadgets. RIM argued that Mformation's patent claims are invalid because the processes were already being used when Mformation filed its patent application.'"

6 of 77 comments (clear)

  1. New strategy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    RIM's lawyers have asked if they can pay the penalty based on current usage. That would bring the verdict down to $72.

  2. Obvious is obvious by tomhath · · Score: 4, Interesting

    claims on a patent for a process that remotely manages a wireless device over a wireless network

    How else are you going to manage a wireless device? If this isn't a ridiculous patent there is none.

    1. Re:Obvious is obvious by tomhath · · Score: 4, Informative

      Then it doesn't matter that everyone skilled in this field would solve the problem similarly

      Yes, it absolutely does matter. If the solution is obvious to "a person having ordinary skill in the art" then it's not patentable. I'm pretty sure that any reasonably skilled engineer who needs a way to manage wireless devices would manage them over a wireless network.

  3. Re:Poor RIM by amiga3D · · Score: 5, Insightful

    They forgot to pay somebody. It reminds me of the old movie "Back to School" where Rodney Dangerfield is taking a business class and he starts filling the instructor in on all the payoffs and bribes necessary to conduct business in the "real" world.

  4. Re:kick them while they're down by jbolden · · Score: 4, Informative

    RIM has $2b in cash and is doing well in some offbeat markets like Indonesia. They have problems but they aren't likely to go broke.

  5. Re:kick them while they're down by Octorian · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Shh... You're not supposed to contradict the popular consensus that RIM is $80B in debt, went bankrupt 6 months ago, and plans to sell half the company next week, and liquidate the rest by the end of the month.

    I think you're also supposed to throw in some collection of jabs against whatever phone they sold 4-5 years ago that you didn't like, and how they're still selling it as part of their current portfolio and not working on anything newer.