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BlackBerry Injunction Unlikely, Say Analysts

6:30 am on February 3, 2006 | Category: Business, Law, Mobile Devices

Despite all the talk of an injunction blocking BlackBerry service in the US, analysts at Gartner say that such an extreme outcome is far from likely.

Out of four possible outcomes in the RIM/NTP patent lawsuit, analysts Ken Dulaney and Todd Kort believe that a settlement is by far the most probable end result.

â€œThere’s great incentive for both parties to settle,â€ Dulaney said, referring to NTPâ€™s recent patent troubles, and RIMâ€™s fear of a crippling injunction.

A settlement, however, is definitely not guaranteed, especially due to the stubborn bargaining record of both companies. The next most likely result, the analysts say, is that the case will be delayed until NTP is finished appealing the rejection of its patents. This could easily take up to a year, resulting in either dismissal of the case, or a return to square one, come 2007.

The third most likely scenario, according to the Gartner evaluation, is that RIM implements its much hyped, but still unseen workaround technology, and avoids facing the lawsuit. Last on the list is the unlikely but scary possibility of a full-scale injunction against all BlackBerry service in the United States.

The low likelihood of such a ruling might ease a few tensions, but as long as its even a possibility, thereâ€™s no doubt that most RIM customers and investors will continue to fear the worst.

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