RIM's U.S. customers needn't fret, analysts contend

The Globe and Mail writes that the long-running patent dispute betweeen Research In Motion (RIM) and NTP will most likely not disrupt Blackberry service in the U.S. According to the article, "the presiding judge granted the U.S. government's request to weigh in on the case with arguments and evidence against an injunction. The government had filed a submission to court last week saying it does not want anything to jeopardize a vital communications link for federal workers."

In reference to rumors that RIM "could have settled the infringement case four years ago for less than $50-million," Rob Sanderson at American Technology Research said, "Do these guys know what they are doing?" RIM's leadership has oftentimes been second-guessed and Sanderson added, "The market has never given the guys the benefit of the doubt. But time and time again they have proved right. They know their legal options better than anyone, and their settlement options. They should be given more credit that they know what they're doing."

Carmi Levy at Info-Tech Research Group commented on the possibility of RIM operating a workaround service that bypassed NTP's patent claims. He said it would involve nothing less than the "complete overhaul of the hardware and software that supports the BlackBerry messaging service. It's analogous to rebuilding an airplane while it's still in flight."