RIM Chairman Wants Changes to U.S. Patent Law

florescent_beige writes "The Globe and Mail is reporting that James Balsillie '... called on U.S. lawmakers yesterday to fix a system that he says boxed the company into one of the largest legal settlements in U.S. history.' Although this will do nothing to change the $612.5M(US) settlement RIM was forced to sign with NTP, Mr. Balsille says he wants to help 'assure that no other company experiences what we endured over the past five years.' Mr Balsillie's rhetoric was direct: he said RIM's treatment at trial was like '... a judge in a murder case pondering execution while ignoring DNA evidence that exonerates the accused ... RIM was virtually held up for ransom by NTP...'"

Corporate grassroots

[Anonymous Coward]

I was holding out for a longer court battle, in the hopes that more and more crackberry addicted suits would be forced into looking at patent reform. I'll take what I can get but it would be nice to have more than one chairman on board.

There was a simpler way.

[demigod]

...$612.5M(US) settlement RIM was forced to sign with NTP...

For a fraction of that they could have hired hitmen for all the NTP management and thier legal counsle.

Re:There was a simpler way.

[Just Some Guy]

Hiring a hit on one guy is easy, but hiring a hit on ~30 guys, who don't all ever meet in one place, is a substantial challenge.

That's why you've got to give the first hit as much dramatic impact as possible. It's one thing to know that someone's out to get you, but a completely different thing to know that the guy in the next cubicle got drawn, quartered, decapitated, a cow's head sewn on in place, stuffed with pinto beans, then dropped from 50,000 feet onto the parking lot at the World Scout Jamboree.

The other 29 would probably voluntarily move on to more productive employment at that point.

Petty Mindset Troll

[weremook]

I have seen no evidence for staunch nationalism in our civil courts. We treat Canada the same as the other 50 states.

Re:Where's the Canadian Gov't?

[spanielrage]

Where has the Neo Liberal Canadian Government been in all this?

Getting their asses voted out of office.

Too late for RIM, unfortuneately...

Oh, NOW you tell us...

[Moofie]

OK, RIM, you liked patent law just fine when you were suing Handspring for having a tiny keyboard. But NOW it's time for Serious Patent Reform!

Uh huh.

Re:Am I missing something?

[Waffle Iron]

NTP is no patent troll

Given that NTP doesn't have any valid patents, logic would dictate that your statement is true.

Re:Am I missing something?

[criscooil]

e.g. I sneak a patent in that patents vacuums. The USPTO grants it, and I can then cajole a judge into granting an injunction against every vacuum maker unless they pay my extortion fee. The USPTO will of course pull the patent out and start reviewing it, but the vacuum cleaners will have long been forced to pay up.

Wow. That would really suck!