First BlackBerry, next eBay? As patent disputes threaten to shut down whole pillars of the electronic economy, the question becomes more urgent whether patent holders should be entitled to automatic injunctions against infringers. Abolishing the injunction entirely might be too radical, argues Fortune’s Roger Parloff; the better course may lie in giving judges more discretion. (“Pay Up — or You’re Done For”, Fortune, Dec. 12). More on the BlackBerry case: Oct. 11, May 2. And a news update: “Setback for BlackBerry maker”, Reuters/Money/CNN, Nov. 30.
Tagged as:
BlackBerry,
technology
“A court decision Friday renewed the possibility that service to BlackBerry wireless e-mail devices might be cut off for most users in the United States.” (Ian Austen, “Court Ruling in BlackBerry Case Puts Service to U.S. Users at Risk”, New York Times, Oct. 8). However, TigerHawk (Oct. 8) offers some reasons to think that might not happen. See May 2.
Tagged as:
BlackBerry,
technology
The Canadian maker of the wireless email device in March agreed to pay $450 million to settle the claims of NTP, a company which manufactures nothing and instead makes its way in the world by asserting rights in old patents. Not all is sweetness and light, however: “Critics of the patent system maintain that these companies — called ‘patent trolls’ by their detractors — rely on excessively broad patents, particularly for software, that should never have been granted in the first place.” For more on the controversy over patent-licensing firms, see various posts on our technology and intellectual property page. (Ian Austen and Lisa Guernsey, “A Payday for Patents ‘R’ Us”, New York Times, May 2).
Tagged as:
BlackBerry,
Canada,
legal extortion,
patent litigation,
technology
