RIM Appeals to the U.S. Supreme Court
Via Dennis Crouch’s Patently-O blog, where it was noted that Research in Motion (RIM) has requested that the U.S. Supreme Court hear its appeal from the Federal Circuit’s decision which earlier this year was decided in NTP’s favor.
The appeal involves the question of territoriality of the patent laws. As noted previously, RIM claimed that because its BlackBerry relay servers — through which all e-mails pass — is based in Ontario, Canada that the U.S. patent laws had no jurisdiction. Accordingly, the specific question posed in the Petition by RIM to the U.S. Supreme Court is:
Whether an Internet-based global telecommunications system, such as the BlackBerry wireless email system, is used “within the United States,” where components crucial to the system’s operation are located outside the United States.
On a related note, both the Globe and Mail and Bloomberg.com reported today that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issued a non-final rejection of yet another of NTP Inc.’s patents.