The twists and turns in Research In Motion Ltd.’s legal battle with NTP Inc. continues with a new, separate lawsuit that pits NTP against a company that claims it actually owns the patents that NTP and RIM are fighting over.
The lawsuit further complicates an already complicated situation. Patent holding company NTP filed suit against RIM in 2001, alleging RIM’s popular BlackBerry wireless e-mail device infringes on its patents. A jury sided with NTP in 2002, awarding the company millions of dollars in damages and millions more in royalty payments. RIM is now in the process of appealing the verdict.
On Dec. 30, a company called Computer Leasco Inc. filed a lawsuit against NTP and added a new twist to the drama. The company claims NTP conducted a “wide-scale, fraudulent scheme” to steal CLI’s patents-the same patents NTP claims RIM’s BlackBerry violates.
CLI said it leased computer equipment to a company called Telefind in 1998. Telefind eventually went under, and CLI successfully sued the company for $3.83 million. However, CLI claims that Telefind’s chief engineer, Thomas Campana, covertly managed to transfer several key patents from Telefind into another holding company called ESA Telecommunications Inc. ESA eventually became NTP. CLI is suing to get a hold of those patents, which cover technology for wireless e-mail systems.
Interestingly, an appeals court ruled in 1994 that the patents in question do in fact belong to NTP, but CLI claims it has been swindled.
NTP said it has no comment on the lawsuit. RIM generally does not comment on its legal issues.
