Industry and Consumers Breathe Sigh of Relief after BlackBerry Settlement

Case Still Proof that US Patent Office in Desperate Need of Reform to Ensure Innovation and Competitiveness

Washington – Today, Research In Motion Ltd. agreed to pay $612.5 million to settle its long-running legal dispute with patent firm NTP Inc.  In response to the news, Association for Competitive Technology president Jonathan Zuck, made the following statement:

“The industry and millions of consumers are breathing a collective sigh of relief tonight.  Despite averting a BlackBerry shutdown, however, this case is just more proof that the US Patent Office is in crisis.  While some of NTP’s patents may prove to be valid, it is clear that many of them should never have been granted in the first place.

The US Patent Office’s failure to ensure quality threatens the patent system that is so critical to innovative small tech firms.  If the quality of patents is not improved, the industry may lose faith in the entire system and that would endanger the future of American innovation and competitiveness.”