RIM Buys Chalk Media, Moves on Certicom

BlackBerry maker Research In Motion is moving aggressively on the acquisition front, announcing Dec. 11 it has an agreement to purchase content delivery platform Chalk Media in an $18.7 million all cash deal. The deal follows a Dec. 10 formal filing launching RIM's hostile takeover bid for security vendor Certicom.

Chalk Media, a member of the BlackBerry Independent Software Vendor Alliance Program, develops an application suite that allows the creation of media-rich "pushcasts" sent to BlackBerry smart phones. As a part of the deal, RIM agreed to loan Chalk Media $2.2 million to fund its operations until the completion of the transaction.

Chalk's pushcasts, already in use by large corporations and government agencies, allow targeted content delivery with notifications and can include large media assets such as video or audio files, as well as surveys, tests, and click to call or e-mail requests.

Chalk's board of directors has unanimously approved the acquisition and recommends that shareholders vote in favor of the transaction. The deal is expected to close by the end of February.

In a Dec. 10 follow-up offer made to Certicom, RIM announced its takeover bid is now open to all Certicom shareholders. RIM said it would offer Certicom shareholders $1.20 per share, or approximately $52.6 million for all outstanding shares.

If RIM's takeover bid is successful, Certicom's Elliptic Curve Cryptography will help RIM woo companies and government agencies with an elite security system.