Nickname: Ucan2

Review: only the lawyers win...

Date reviewed: Jan 24, 2006 11:21 AM

Nickname: sparkel

Review: One of the above posts, sums it up perfectly: NTP is not some small business. It's not a guy working out of his garage on new inventions. It is not a company producing any product nor was it licensing its technology prior to the RIM case. It has only begun licensing in order to pressure RIM for a fat settlement. Many of these holding companies like NTP simply sit on hundreds and thousands of vague patents waiting for real companies and inventors to produce something similar.

Date reviewed: Dec 16, 2005 4:03 PM

Nickname: Joe

Review: NTP's claim for a lump sum payment reflecting license fess to 2012 is pure extortion given their patents are highly likely to be overturned by the patent office in the near future. Given the thorough multi-year review by the PTO of their patents they have little chance of seeing that decision overturned on appeal. This legalized shakedown of innovative companies by opportunists reflects the worst of U.S. business practices.

Date reviewed: Dec 16, 2005 12:58 PM

Nickname: JD

Review: It does not matter how many people are rooting for RIM- they are infringing and will have to pay probably at least 50% of their cash on hand. RIM could have settled but they wanted it all- the cash from technology they do not have rights to by not licensing it in. This is a message that should go out to all large companies that are infringing on patents that a company's size cannot bully their way through patent disputes. Patent law prevails, and I would rather see all Blackberrys go black than to see RIM get away with infringement. We live by a set of rules and those supercede any emotions of cheering on RIM to save your e-mail service. GO with a competitor and teach RIM a lesson, as well as other infringing companies. It is good to see that some courts still have integrity.

Date reviewed: Dec 16, 2005 5:19 AM

Nickname: rjriley5000

Review: I am sorry to say that the posts on this subject show a profound ignorance of innovation, patents, and the realities of founding a small business. One poster claims that ideas are patented. This is blatantly false. All patents describe reduction to practice and that is what is patented. NTP has invented. Another talks about a work around. If there was an equally effective workaround RIM would have employed it long ago. Another parrots the predatory companies propaganda about a broken system. The system is working exactly as intended after decades of being gamed by companies who used sheer financial resources to short circuit justice. Today inventors have developed effective countermeasures and justice is being served. continued:

Date reviewed: Dec 16, 2005 4:20 AM

Nickname: rjriley5000

Review: Another claims "What a crock of. NTP is not some small business. It's not a guy working out of his garage on new inventions." It is a fact that the inventor who set up NTP did develop many inventions. Yet in this case he died while RIM was handsomely profiting from his invention. Last, it is a fact that RIM has started another patent war over predictive text and that we have helped that inventor connect with those who specialize in defending inventors. RIM no doubt expected to run the inventor bankrupt. Now they are fighting on a second front which may well be as damaging and expensive as the NTP battle. One thing is reasonably certain, the new fight they picked will be haunting long after the NTP case is settled. Ronald J Riley, President Professional Inventors Alliance

Date reviewed: Dec 16, 2005 4:19 AM

Nickname: Adam

Review: The only problem with Mr. Riley's comment is that NTP hasn't actually invented anything. Not a line of code was written, not a circuit was designed, no product was ever produced or even planned. Instead they had an idea, which should not be patentable, and they're using the broken US patent system to extort from anyone who actually does the work of invention. May we see these patent farms sunk soon.

Date reviewed: Dec 15, 2005 11:19 PM

Nickname: chet brewer

Review: It's a pity that NTP has been trying to hold up RIM on this. In the end, RIM will work around and NTP will be left with nothing.

Date reviewed: Dec 15, 2005 10:58 PM

Nickname: AUS_S

Review: Im not the biggest BlackBerry fan, but I hope RIM wins. I think the concept of patenting an idea is a joke. NTP never planned to make a product, so why should their idea (which nobody had to steal to think up themselves, given its broad spectrum) mean others can't have the same vision without paying them? It's not like NTP did any work of their own other than filing.

Date reviewed: Dec 15, 2005 10:05 PM

Nickname: Rog

Review: Its outrageous that the law should permit NTP to engage in this kind of extortion. If NTP has a serious claim then its fair that the courts should hear it. But damages and penalties should be awarded only after the NTP patents have been irrevocably accepted by the PTO. As it stands it appears that any two-bit legal outfit can draft a claim and walk away with a barrel of cash before the relevant patents have been shown to be valid.

Date reviewed: Dec 15, 2005 8:47 PM