“Blackberry saved” was a common theme of news reporting in March after Research In Motion (RIM), maker of the ubiquitous Blackberry wireless phone/email device, came to a $612 million settlement in its legal battle defending a claim for patent infringement.
Things just got worse for RIM, according to a report in the Financial Times, which says RIM faces another patent-infringement lawsuit from Visto, a US-based wireless email technology company:
[…] Rim did not immediately comment on the new suit which could lead to further uncertainly in the fast expanding market for corporate wireless “push†e-mail services – a market that Rim and the BlackBerry helped define. It is also likely to fuel further demands for a revision of US patent law and overhaul of the patent and trademark system.
It’s that uncertainty, the FUD, that will be a major issue for RIM’s customers and Blackberry users as well as potential customers and users. In addition, mobile services providers who offer Blackberry devices as part of their product and service offerings.
A lot of people to reassure that RIM and Blackberry have a viable future. I hope RIM has a crisis communication plan prepared.
