RIM gets its hands on 30,000 patents

SMARTPHONE MAKER Research in Motion (RIM) has made a deal to get its hands on 30,000 patents so it can avoid future litigation.

The Blackberry maker cut the deal with the patent holding company Intellectual Ventures, which opened the doors to access a vast array of patents. This means RIM can get its mitts on technology without fear of patent lawsuits and thus avoid legal complications with other hardware makers.

"Intellectual Ventures offers an efficient way to access the invention rights companies need to stay competitive within the market," Mario Obeidat, the patent company's head of telecom licensing said in a statement.

RIM has enough worries with stiffer competition in the consumer smartphone market from Apple and Android devices, so the deal will at least give the company a chance to remain competitive.

But the deal with Intellectual Ventures won't resolve any of RIM's current legal problems. Everyone is suing everyone else over patents in the mobile hardware market at the moment and RIM has spent this week engaged in a dispute with Kodak and Apple.

Kodak is seeking $1 billion in licensing fees through the US International Trade Commission (ITC). The camera company made the sweeping claim that nearly every mobile device that has a camera infringes a Kodak patent, so it could potentially sue hundreds of mobile phone vendors.

Kodak lost its initial claim with a judge ruling in RIM and Apple's favour, but that ruling is being re-investigated by the ITC. If it is overturned, RIM and Apple will have to come up with some serious money. µ