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Networking: Feds calls BlackBerry essential
UPI ^ | November 14, 2005 | UPI

Posted on 11/16/2005 5:12:39 PM PST by 2Jim_Brown

CHICAGO, Nov. 14 (UPI) -- The feds are intervening in a 5-year-old patent case against Research in Motion Ltd., the Canadian-based developer of BlackBerry, arguing in court papers filed last week that the networked wireless computing devices are essential and a network outage could cause severe problems for the U.S. government.

"The injunction would, literally, prevent RIM from providing the services that would be essential for the federal government, as well as state and local governments, to continue their use of the BlackBerry devices," the U.S. Department of Justice argued in a court filing. By Gene Koprowski

(Excerpt) Read more at upi.com ...


TOPICS: Extended News; Miscellaneous
KEYWORDS: blackberry; federalgovernment; patent
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The feds are arguing in court papers filed last week that the BlackBerry is essential and a network outage could cause severe problems for the U.S. government.
1 posted on 11/16/2005 5:12:39 PM PST by 2Jim_Brown
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To: 2Jim_Brown

And?


2 posted on 11/16/2005 5:15:28 PM PST by calrighty ( Watch " The Beeber Story ", written by al baby, produced by Hugh Series. Troops BTTT)
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Comment #3 Removed by Moderator

To: calrighty
Feds calls BlackBerry essential

"I tol' you Ah wuz essenshul!"

4 posted on 11/16/2005 5:21:03 PM PST by martin_fierro (< |:)~)
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To: martin_fierro
LOL LOL LOL

LVM

5 posted on 11/16/2005 5:22:15 PM PST by LasVegasMac (HoOked on Fonics. Dun goOd For me?)
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To: Stingy Dog
I think RIM must provide the services or else.

You haven't been following the case. RIM infringed on a patent and is being sued to put RIM out of business. Now the government is jumping into the fray because the government sunk tons of money into buying RIM equipment. The government doesn't want the plaintiff to prevail against RIM for patent infringement because the government would be holding lots of high tech paperweights if RIM loses the case. Perhaps the solution is to force RIM to pay licensing fees for all the equipment sold to date and all future purchases. The RIM user base may have to suck up a one time charge on the monthly bill to cover licensing the purloined technology.

6 posted on 11/16/2005 5:26:16 PM PST by Myrddin
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To: LasVegasMac
< |;)~

Blackberry, schmackberry.

7 posted on 11/16/2005 5:27:03 PM PST by martin_fierro (< |:)~)
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To: Myrddin

I think it should come out of the personal assets of the officers of the infringing corporation.


8 posted on 11/16/2005 5:31:02 PM PST by Gondring (I'll give up my right to die when hell freezes over my dead body!)
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To: martin_fierro

Treo650?


9 posted on 11/16/2005 5:32:50 PM PST by Crazieman (6-23-2005, Establishment of the United Socialist States of America)
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To: Crazieman

Treo 600, actually.

Mrs. F has the 650, and it be sweeeeeet.


10 posted on 11/16/2005 5:34:25 PM PST by martin_fierro (< |:)~)
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To: Stingy Dog

thanks


11 posted on 11/16/2005 5:34:37 PM PST by calrighty ( Watch " The Beeber Story ", written by al baby, produced by Hugh Series. Troops BTTT)
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Comment #12 Removed by Moderator

To: martin_fierro

ROTFLMBO


13 posted on 11/16/2005 5:35:21 PM PST by calrighty ( Watch " The Beeber Story ", written by al baby, produced by Hugh Series. Troops BTTT)
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To: 2Jim_Brown
I find it rather odd that the feds get involved in asking the court to set asside their own laws just because they use the (illegal) services of blackberry.

If the feds needed elevator music would they claim the right to violate the patents and copyrights of the record industry?

If this patent can be set aside because the feds want it so, then why not half a million other patents and copyrights ?

The US patent system is so screwed up that you can patent a ham sandwich SIMPLY because no one else thought to do so before.

But this is a case where blackberry clearlu stole the technology and is not seen as having a chance at prevailing in the case, and will be forced to fork over millions.

Another attorney said the case promises to be one of the most momentous patent cases in history. "This could turn out to be as big as or bigger than Kodak v. Polaroid, in which an injunction based upon Polaroid's patents put Kodak out of the instant camera business," said Bob Fieseler, partner and board member with McAndrews, Held & Malloy, based in Chicago.

And we all know how well the instant photo business is doing these days don't we....

I'm still trying to figure out what our government is doing on those easily hacked blackberries anyway?

14 posted on 11/16/2005 5:35:26 PM PST by adamsjas
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To: 2Jim_Brown
The Blackberry may be essential to the federal government, but the federal government is quite unessential to the individual American.
15 posted on 11/16/2005 5:43:42 PM PST by StockAyatollah
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To: martin_fierro
Wrong essential Berry (what were you thinking?!?), and you're still one short.
16 posted on 11/16/2005 5:58:46 PM PST by Hoplite
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To: adamsjas

Electronic Leashes for the big wheels.
Read email while at home, on the road, without lugging a laptop. New ones have cell phones. Unclassified only, and the data and voice traffic is encrypted.

Classified use requires a crypto module sled and is or is not allowed or in production. They keep changing policies on that.


I say chuck em, personally. Besides RIM is from Canuckistan.




17 posted on 11/16/2005 5:59:23 PM PST by axes_of_weezles (mainstream extremist (Ha))
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To: martin_fierro

Naw, he's just interested in 'em because he heard they were "Crack" Berries.


18 posted on 11/16/2005 6:10:44 PM PST by detsaoT (run bsd)
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To: adamsjas
The US patent system is so screwed up that you can patent a ham sandwich SIMPLY because no one else thought to do so before.

Although one requirement for a patent is supposed to be proving that the inventor can actually do what the patent claims, it should not be possible for the first company that comes up with an anti-impotence drug to patent the concept of "improving potency via medication".

19 posted on 11/16/2005 6:20:48 PM PST by supercat (Sony delinda est.)
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To: 2Jim_Brown
On 911 my husband, who was 7 blocks from the WTC, and I lost contact. Last I heard from him, he was heading South!

No calls to NYC were going through after the towers collapsed, wireless or land. I finally got a message from him on someone's RIM pager. After hours of anxious worry, it was great to hear that mechanical voice tell me, "I'm OK."

Whether these would work in all disasters, I don't know. We looked into satellite phones once. $$$$

20 posted on 11/16/2005 6:22:15 PM PST by AmericaUnite
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