Research In Motion (RIM) and Prism Technologies have settled a patent dispute over authentication software used in RIM’s BlackBerry devices for an undisclosed amount of money, reports BusinessWeek.
Prism filed complaints in civil court and with the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) alleging that RIM’s products, specifically the BlackBerry Curve 8330, violated its patents on software that creates a secure connection between users and an “untrusted network” like the Internet.
The ITC complaint, filed in December, asked the agency to ban the importation of RIM products that allegedly violated Prism patent number 7,290,288. Prism’s civil suit was filed in 2008 against both Microsoft and RIM. Microsoft settled with Prism last September.
Prism has now asked the ITC and the Nebraska federal court to dismiss the charges, citing a license and settlement agreement with RIM. The ITC had begun an investigation into the complaint and expected to issue its final ruling on April 5, 2011.
Kodak and Motorola also have charged RIM with patent infringement. Kodak’s ITC complaint alleges that RIM’s BlackBerry devices violate a patent on image previewing technology.
Motorola’s filing with the ITC claims that RIM’s products violate five of its patents related to “certain early-stage innovations” such as Wi-Fi access and power management.
The ITC is currently investigating both Kodak’s and Motorola’s allegations.
Filed Under: Industry regulations
