I wonder if Bill Gates is backing NTP's unhappiness with the current agreement? With the technology NTP created being limited to RIM that can only gain XXX dollars. If they can spread that technology to Palm, M$ etc... they can make XXX dollars per company. However, RIM has the initial agreement. The courts don't like you selling something at one price then you find out its value and demand more money. I think this will string out for a while...
EDIT: Does BES use the NTP technology or just BIS/BWC?
I hope some of the Blackberry Users in the US government see this greedy ploy by NTP (which in my opinion really was owed no money), and move to revamp the patent office.
Legitimate companies that have put ideas in motion deserve the patents, or at least free from suits over patents given to ideas many years before they were possible.
EDIT: Does BES use the NTP technology or just BIS/BWC?
From what I've read, NTP is arguing that their patent covers all aspects of a wireless email delivery system. Not sure whow that's possible w/o having seen the actual patent, though. That's certainly a bold claim to make.
As was pointed out in one of the news articles, NTP loses all of its money if the Berry is stopped. So they've gotta deal, because they only get a cut of what RIM generates. If RIM doesn't sell in the US, there's no money to cut from. So the dealing is over how far they can push RIM. Not about shutting it down. I'd only worry if you owned RIM stock (which I do, and why I'm worried -- some).
As patent deal unravels, anxiety rises at BlackBerry maker 
