RIM Appears Open to Settlement

In comments to the media Thursday, RIM President and co-CEO Mike Lazaridis said his company was still open to a settlement with NTP. The two companies are locked in a bitter patent dispute that could disrupt the BlackBerry service for its 3 million subscribers.

In deciding not to enforce an injunction immediately last Friday, U.S. District Judge James Spencer chastised the two sides for not making more effort to settle the matter out of court. Spencer said he hoped to have a decision on the injunction "as soon as reasonably possible."

However, in what could be seen as a warning to RIM, the judge reminded the company that it had already been found guilty of patent infringement. Spencer said, "the simple truth, the reality of the jury verdict has not changed."

The two sides had a $450 million settlement in the works last year, but the deal fell through before it could be finalized. RIM attempted to have it enforced, however the judge denied that motion.

While RIM and NTP may indeed be working together, the public would not know until a settlement is reached. This is due to a court-imposed order forbidding any discussion on the subject, Lazaridis said. In any case, he said RIM has contingency plans, injunction or not.