RIM faced several intellectual property challenges including patent infringement lawsuits from NTP, Motorola, Nokia, and Hunter Point Ventures regarding technologies related to wireless email, mobile devices, and music playlists. RIM settled the NTP lawsuit in 2006 for $612.5 million. These lawsuits and increased competition from Apple and Android hurt RIM's business revenue. However, RIM's Blackberry was once highly innovative as the premier smartphone providing secure email access and integration with corporate systems. RIM must continue innovating new blockbuster products and leverage its intellectual property portfolio to regain market share.

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Ting Yin
Netw 583
Professor Jude Lamour
Week 3: Case Analysis 2 RIM
March 22, 2015
Apply as many TCOs as you can to the RIM
The following TCOs can be applied to this case.
TCO A, TCO B, TCO C, and TCO D
What were some of the challenges that RIM faced to protect its intellectual
property, and how did RIM handle those challenges?
In 2001, New Technology Product (NTP) sued Research In Motion (RIM) for patent
encroachment. NTP accused RIM of infringing on four of its patents . One of the patents was
associated with an “electronic mail system with RF communications to mobile processors and
method(s) of operation” (Dinges, 2006). NTP upheld its licenses’ rights to essential holding and
accused RIM of disregarding its remote interchanges in electronic mail frameworks as well as its
A Given a company situation be able to describe the industry dynamics of technological innovation.
B Given a company situation be able to determine whether and how to protect its technological innovations.
C
Given an organizational and industry context, identify the core technological competencies of the
organization.
D Given an organizational context, develop a plan to increase the innovative capabilities of the organization
both through collaboration strategies and internal innovation.
E
Given information about a company's industry and organization, formulate a technological innovation
strategy through its new product development strategy.
F Given an organizational and industry context, identify and suggest a deployment strategy that will
facilitate the success ofa technologically driven organization.

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licenses’ coatings for the utilization of Radio Frequency (RF). From 2001 to 2006, RIM fought
with NTP regarding the proprietorial right to the email with RF communications; RIM settled
with NTP for $612.5 million (US) (TCO B) (Reilly, 2005).
In 2008, Motorola claimed that RIM infringed on seven of its patent rights and legal
licenses for the Blackberry 8000, arrangement gadgets, and the Blackberry Enterprise Server.
This patent infringement lawsuit stemmed from a related lawsuit in which Motorola claimed that
RIM encroached on some of its products or parts of their licenses (Onges, 2008). On May 2,
2012, Nokia filed a patent encroachment claim against RIM. The claim identified the following
innovations as being infringed upon: 1) a light sensor for screen splendor control; and 2) remote
synchronization of a database and portable schedule, the force sparing of GSM gadgets, and
timetable utilization of channels (Robert, 2012). On May 8, 2012, Hunter Point Ventures
recorded a patent encroachment claim against RIM. The organization claimed that RIM violated
Hunter Point Venture’s “system for music play rundown choice in a compact sound gadget”
(Roberts, 2012).
RIM’s business revenue has seen a significant decline since the fourth quarter of 2011
caused by competitive and never-ending litigation regarding the company’s innovations (Onges,
2008). However, BlackBerry shares rocketed up 16% on a Reuters report after Samsung claimed
interest in buying the company (Rosoff, 2015) (TCO A).
What were some of the industry factors that influenced RIM?
1) Technological innovation of mobile communication devices
2) Smartphone marketplace competition
3) Consumer need for user friendly operation of technology
4) Importance of information security technology
5) Available talent technological workforce
6) Consumer need for information gathering and processing capabilities

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RIM’s Blackberry was once considered the premier product and a game changer in the
infancy of the smartphone years, becoming a fixture in many corporations. Employees could be
in or out of their workplaces and still retrieve messages securely on their mobile devices. It
offered quick retrieval of data on the go (TCO D). In the smartphone realm, Blackberry was a
breakthrough that provided great data security systems. Blackberry’s capacity to accept email
was a major principle of its desirability over other cell phones, and Edge marketed the
Blackberry as the major smartphone brand (RIM) (TCO D). Unfortunately, all technological
products require constant improvement. Both Apple’s iPhone and Google’s Android systems
exploded on the market; they continue to hold significant market shares today (TCO A) .
Certain innovations did help RIM keep the Blackberry on the market. Edge planned and
licensed the now universal QWERTY console. QWERTY empowered snappy writing with the
thumbs. By supplementing IT administration, Edge Wireless Services complemented with the
BlackBerrys (Edge Wireless) (TCO D). The supplemental administrator includes the servers, a
handheld, programming, and administration that work well with the Blackberry. Therefore, RIM
recommends the Blackberry as a fixture for business experts (RIM).
Edge targets corporate professionals; the Blackberry’s versatility allows access to
corporate systems, such as company intranet, email, and administration frameworks, from
outside the workplace. These features have moved the entire organization toward greater
engagement in corporate activity ( Edge Wireless) (TCO D). The data transmission provided by
RIM subsequently lowered mailing expenses. At the time, no comparable quality administration
for RIM models existed. In the business interchanges arena, the Blackberry remote gadget was a

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pioneer; no other gadget offered the benefits provided by the Blackberry and its administration
(TCO D) (RIM).
RIM eventually changed their name to BlackBerry Ltd.—a rebranding closer to the
company’s product and reputation throughout its history. The company must continue to
generate blockbuster products to regain its status as a major competitor in the market. Their large
collection of IP, if used correctly, can help them earn greater profits (TCO B). Blackberry still
has a significant share of the corporate market; they can remain in this niche for now (TCO A)
(Zielenziger, 2013).
Apply as many TCOs as you can to the RIM
TCO A Given a company situation be able to describe the industry dynamics of technological
innovation.
TCO B Given a company situation be able to determine whether and how to protect its
technological innovations.
TCO C Given an organizational and industry context, identify the core technological
competencies of the organization.
TCO D Given an organizational context, develop a plan to increase the innovative capabilities of
the organization both through collaboration strategies and internal innovation.
Innovation (TCO A), protecting the innovation (TCO B), identifying the core
technological competencies (TCO C), and collaboration and internal innovation TCO D are the
TCOs applicable to RIM. Blackberry was once considered a highly innovative device on the
market. In addition to being a major smartphone manufacturer in its time, RIM offered
innovative changes that included a keypad, wireless email, and touch screen (TCO C) (RIM).
Protecting innovation is one of the most important TCOs discussed in this paper. RIM
went through multiple patent infringement lawsuits; therefore, TCO B can be applied to RIM. As
with all organizations, it is essential to identify organizational and work-based competencies.

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RIM, as an innovative smartphone maker, must focus its resources and time on mobile devices
and associated tools and accessories (TCO C) (RIM).
Reference
Dinges, J. (2006). Extraterritorial Patent Infringement Liability After NTP, Inc. v. Research In
Motion, Ltd. Journal of Corporate Law. Pages 217 - 236.
Edge Wireless. (n.d.). Retrieved from :http://us.blackberry.com/smartphones/edge-
wireless.html#!retailer=edge-wireless
G. M. Reilly. (2005). The Territorial Limits of U.S. Patent Law – NTP, Inc. v. Research In
Motion, Ltd., 418 F.3d 1282. TEMPLE JOURNAL OF SCI. TECH. & ENVTL. LAW.
Retrieved from http://www.temple.edu/law/tjstel/2006/spring/v25no1-Reilly.pdf
Gullo, K. (2014, March). BlackBerry Wins Order Barring Sales by Seacrest’s Typo.
Bloomberg.com.
Maisto, M. (2012, May). Nokia with Patent Wins Against Apple Eyes RIM HTC Viewsonic.
Retrieved from: http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Mobile-and-Wireless/Nokia-with-Patent-
Wins-Against-Apple-Eyes-RIM-HTC-Viewsonic-668948#sthash.3YrjGsGR.dpuf
Onge, S.T. (2008, February). Research In Motion, Motorola Trade Suits Over Patents .
Bloomberg. Retrieved from
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=asGNRWUV9YfQ
RIM. (n.d.) Retrieved from: http://www.rim.com/
Roberts, J.J. (2012, May). BlackBerry Hit with Patent Over Music. Retrieved from:
https://gigaom.com/2012/05/07/blackberry-hit-with-patent-over-music/
Rosoff,M. (2015). Here's What Samsung Wins By Buying BlackBerry. Business Insider.
Retrieved from:
http://www.businessinsider.com/samsung-blackberry-2015-1
Schilling, M. Strategic Management of Technological Innovation, 3rd Edition. McGraw-Hill
Learning Solutions. 2009. VitalBook file.

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Zielenziger, D. (2013, January) What Is A Name? Will RIM Prosper Changing Its Name To
BlackBerry?. International Business Times.