The fate of Blackberry in court’s hands

Because of a pending lawsuit, users of the popular Blackberry phones may have to hand over their handheld devices.
The phones, which provide e-mail, two-way paging and instant messaging, in addition to its phone services, are at the center of a patent lawsuit filed by Virginia company NTP Inc.
NTP claims Research in Motion Ltd., a Canadian-based company has unlawfully used NTP’s patented technology, which is currently used in the Blackberry. After an initial ruling in favor of NTP, an appeal was filed to the U.S. Supreme Court by RIM.
The next step involves NTP requesting an injunction, ordering RIM to stop using its technology. This would in fact shut down the Blackberry service. However, RIM has the choice to settle with NTP or introduce a software solution to work around the patents.
“I just hope that the company settles out of court to avoid confusion,” said Margaret McDonald, a Blackberry user and Denver native.
U.S. District Judge James R. Spencer set a Feb. 24 hearing date to consider a possible injunction.
If Spencer orders a Blackberry blackout, it is likely that users will have 30 days or more to switch to similar devices sold by competitors. However, NTP explained that government and emergency personnel would be exempt from the shutdown.
“I would be very unhappy if I had to trade out my Blackberry for something else,” said Michelle Woods, a Blackberry user from Houma.
Dawn Benton, Cingular’s regional public relations director, had no comment about the patent lawsuit or what its implications could mean for Blackberry users with their company.
Other manufacturers that produce personal digital assistant-style phones include Palm, Samsung and LG. Users can access e-mail, planners and the Web, and they have full keyboards.
According to a survey issued by In-Stat, a market research company, more than one-third of current Blackberry users would switch to another device. Only seven percent said they would stick with RIM until the issue is resolved.