RIM Hits Legal Roadblock in Patent Suit

The future of BlackBerry e-mail devices became even cloudier Wednesday. A U.S. District Judge overseeing the case between NTP and RIM said he would not wait for the U.S. Patent Office to review disputed patents before deciding whether to uphold an injunction that would halt the sales of the popular device.

It is not clear if NTP's patents have any merit after an initial rejection by the patent office. However, a final decision on the matter could take up to two years.

"I've spent enough of my life and time on NTP and RIM," Judge James Spencer said in the hearing, adding that he intends to move quickly on a judgment.

Both sides are eagerly awaiting an end to nearly four years of legal wrangling. In 2001, NTP filed the initial patent infringement suit, and a jury ruled in favor of the company the following year. In 2003, Spencer granted an injunction that would have shut down BlackBerry sales, but it was stayed pending appeal.

An appeals court has since overturned some of the claims, but certain patent infringement claims remain. The two sites had an agreement for about three months earlier this year in which RIM agreed to pay $450 million to continuing selling the BlackBerry.

However, the deal fell apart in June, and NTP is seeking to have the service shut down completely.

RIM is asking the court to enforce the settlement. If it fails, Spencer will likely put into place the 2003 injunction before any final decision is made on the validity of NTP's patents. RIM previously asked the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene and stay the injunction, but the nation's high court declined to hear the case.