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I always have to think these kinds of lawsuits are kind of suspect. The BlackBerry has been out for how long now? Since 2000, 2001. And it’s been a smash hit since 2003. And Motorola decides they’re going to file a patent infringement suit now? I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be unfairly biased against Motorola right from the get-go. But it’s simply hard to believe a lawsuit like this when it’s filed so far after the fact…and on the heels of speculation that Motorola might not be too happy with it’s mobile phone division.

The technology includes a method of storing contact information in wireless e-mails, a way of recognizing incoming phone numbers, a way of controlling access to new applications on a wireless-messaging device, and ways to improve functions on the menu-driven interface of a cellphone, court papers show.

The Eastern District of Texas, where Motorola’s complaint was filed, was the second-most favorable jurisdiction for patent owners who sued from 1995 to 2006, according to a PricewaterhouseCoopers study last year. Only the Western District of Wisconsin was found to be more favorable.

Not to be outdone, RIM filed a similar suit against Motorola. So it would appear that each of their patents are similar enough to warrant a suit. Most likely, though, is that the similarities are incidental. Or at least that’s what I’m hoping. I’d be a bit disillusioned to find that RIM jacked patents from Motorola.

[International Herald Tribune]

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