A federal judge on Tuesday ruled in favor of NTP Inc. in its patent infringement case against Blackberry manufacturer Research in Motion Ltd., which has been brewing since late 2001.
The Federal District Court in Richmond, Va., ordered RIM to pay $53,704,322 for past damages and attorney fees.
Furthermore, the court issued an injunction enjoining RIM from selling, using or importing its Blackberry handhelds and server software in the United States. The court stayed that injunction during any appeal period; the injunction will go into effect if RIM loses its appeal.
On November 21, 2002, a jury determined that RIM infringed 16 claims of 5 NTP patents and awarded initial damages.
RIM intends to draw out the appeals process by petitioning the Court of Appeals to stay the appeals process pending a re-examination of the disputed patents by the U.S. Patent and Trademark office, said RIM officials in Waterloo, Canada. The patent office agreed to take another look at the patents after the jury verdict in November.
“We are obviously pleased with todays ruling and believe that the District Courts decision to stay the injunction is especially appropriate given the frequency of successful appeals at the appellate level as well as the specific merits of RIMs appeal and the impending re-examination of the disputed patents by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office,” said Henry Bunsow, RIMs lead counsel and partner at Howrey Simon Arnold & White, LLP, in a written statement. “RIM has always disputed the validity and infringement of the NTP Inc. patents and we continue to believe the jury verdict was wrong as both a matter of law and fact.”