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RIM suffered a setback in a contract dispute with Nokia. According to a Reuters report, a Swedish arbitrator said “”RIM was in breach of contract and is not entitled to manufacture or sell WLAN products without first agreeing royalties with Nokia.” These WLAN-enabled products include BlackBerry handsets and the PlayBook tablet. RIM could face a ban that would halt sales of BlackBerry phones, but analysts believe the Canadian company will avoid an injunction by agreeing to a royalty agreement with Nokia.
The issue in this case stems from a cross-licensing agreement between RIM and Nokia that covers standards-essential cellular patents. RIM petitioned the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce in early 2011 and requested that the license also cover WLAN patents held by Nokia. A Swedish arbitration tribunal sided with Nokia and now RIM must scramble to secure licensing terms for its BlackBarry handsets. Nokia has already filed a request with a US court that seeks to enforce this decision.
[Via Reuters]
About The Author
Kelly Hodgkins
Kelly spent the last four years covering mobile technology at places like BGR, Gizmodo and The Unofficial Apple Weblog. Before writing, she spent a few years working with and teaching others how to use Adobe Flash and Macromedia Director. Even earlier than that, she spent several years as a Ph.D student in Microbiology. When she's not writing, she can be found fishing the lakes and hiking the mountains of Western Maine with her husband and tribe of children. You can follow her on Twitter @kellyhodgkins.
