Blackberry has to pay over R1.1 billion patent lawsuit

Research in motion (RIM) the blackberry maker, has lost a patent lawsuit and has to pay US $147 million. So says a 12 person jury in San Francisco.

The court found that a RIM function that allows client companies to communicate remotely with their staff mobile devices, infringes on a patent registered by Mformation Technology.

RIM denies any wrongdoing and claims that the patents are invalid.

The award was only based on us$8 per device in the United States of America and excludes potential awards in other areas. If RIM should be awarded similar amounts in other areas potentially over us$1 Billion could be at stake.