NTP sues Palm; RIM seen quietly snickering

Given that it's been six months since we last heard from NTP, we figured that the company had taken its $612 million, paid its hefty legal fees, and moved onto something more productive -- like sitting on a private Caribbean island drinking umbrella-laden cocktails all day. Unfortunately, we neglected to take into account NTP's limitless desire for suing other companies dry. So, still needing more money, NTP has filed a patent infringement suit against Palm in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, alleging in a press release that "Palm's products, services, systems and processes infringe NTP's patents." In a related matter, Scrooge McDuck is suing NTP for infringing his patent on a gold coin-filled swimming room.

[Via Reuters]

[TS @ Nov 6th 2006 4:47PM]

Best. Pciture. Evar!!!

[Gil @ Nov 6th 2006 5:04PM]

Seconded.
Best Picture Ever.

[Seamus Bartlett @ Nov 6th 2006 5:02PM]

I remember that episode. I think the three evil pigs/hogs used some kind of a pump to suck all of the gold out, and then used a gas pump to fill cars with it, and drive it away. Pretty ingenious, really.

[Chris @ Nov 6th 2006 5:07PM]

I recently realized, after a childhood full of dreams of diving into a pool of metal coins, that if Scrooge McDuck were to actually dive into his pool, he would instantly smash his face and break his neck. I'd have him roas- cremated...yes. And then drizzled in mango sauce. Yes. To be...respectful.

[Michael @ Nov 6th 2006 5:10PM]

Since Scrooge is such an old duck, don't you think he'd be a bit chewy?

[Kyle Nichols @ Nov 6th 2006 5:18PM]

NTP needs some nephews like Huey, Dewey, and Luey to show them the moral high ground.

[QUOW @ Nov 6th 2006 5:32PM]

Life is like a hurricane --here in Duckburg!
Race cars, lasers, aeroplanes --it's a duck blur!
You might solve a mystery
or rewrite history

DUCK TALES! Oo-oo!

[DJ @ Nov 6th 2006 5:58PM]

BREAKING NEWS!
This just in......

The United States Postal Service announced moments ago that it is suing NTP for ten gazillion dollars for patent infringement. The suit contends that NTP has been knowingly and maliously using the word "mail" in it's products. When asked about the suit, an NTP spokesperson said a settlement offer was in the mail, which prompted USPS officials to raise their claim to eleven gazillion dollars.

Attorneys for both sides were also unavailable because they are locked into a bidding war for Billy Joel's East Hampton estate......

[Simon @ Nov 6th 2006 6:02PM]

You guys used wayyy too much Unsharp Mask on that picture. Looks really weird.

[Joe @ Nov 6th 2006 6:26PM]

I know it's an easy shot to take at NTP about suing these folks, but hey if they are infringing on patents MORE power to them. Remember, it's their patents.

BTW - it is a great pic! AND drinking umbrella-laden cocktails all day does cost money!

[Jake @ Nov 7th 2006 10:56AM]

If you read the patents that NTP owned you might think otherwise. They are extremely vague. They do not invent or create anything. RIM's mistake was counting on a world economy concept as they did not patent their actual, real, working products in the US. I would not be surprised that NTP caught wind of RIM�s developments of real items and patented the concept in the US with full intention of suing them after RIM succeeded at a the best PDA ever. Hardly ethical business practice.
I think the USPS should sue NTP for use of the word "mail". That would be sweet.

[Robert Aitchison @ Nov 6th 2006 6:44PM]

I thought NTPs backets were all-but-guarantted to be ruled invalid (according to the USPTO), but that the process of invalidating them takes so long that RIM was forced to pay their extortion money or face a shutdown.

Any new lawsuits by these NTP sleazeballs should take years to take their course (as their suit against RIM did) so their patents should be worth slightly less than the paper they are printed on by the time anything becomes of it.

Palm would be foolish to settle on this one as turing this into a lengthy legal battle is just going to take ill-gotten gains out of NTPs pockets in the form of legal fees.

Unless we are talking about a completely different set of patents than the ones that NTP was suing RIM over.

[Gr1zz @ Nov 6th 2006 6:45PM]

Anyone ever hear of a cease-and-desist? Did NTP all of a sudden go "hay, i forgot i had bordwalk, pay me rent"?

[kyler @ Nov 6th 2006 7:43PM]

maybe ntp is really trying to do the american people a service and illustrate everything that is wrong with the patent system. it's not thier fault that the courts are retarded and keep giving them money

[Chris @ Nov 6th 2006 9:00PM]

I laughed at this. Thank you very much.

[Eric @ Nov 6th 2006 9:14PM]

OH man, best story and caption ever.
Thanks engadget.

[Revrant2394 @ Nov 7th 2006 3:11AM]

Someone needs to sue the balls off of RIM for unsavory business practices, this "patent things simply to sue" crap can't be so legal as to avoid any kind of punishment.

[andy @ Nov 7th 2006 9:38AM]

So you guys want to do away with the patent system? You want to be a working man in China then where whatever you put in the time, money, and effort to invent can be freely used by anyone?

I have a question for you then: Why would anyone ever want to put for the time and money to invent anything? For your answer, please compare the economies of those countries that have functioning patent systems and those that do not.


You guys love the term 'patent troll' too don't you? You guys do realize that by definition Sony, Microsoft, IBM, General Electric, and HP are the biggest patent trolls in the world right?

The lack of knowledge here is very impressive.

[Robert Aitchison @ Nov 8th 2006 11:42AM]

You can see the need for and the value in patents while still recognizing that NTP is full of shit.

The patent system is designed to encourage inventors to invent things, in the case of NTP they just filed a bunch of paperwork and somehow received patents on obvious and/or vague ideas.

What worse is they didn't try to make a product out of those patents, heck they didn't even try to go out and get others to make products by licensing those patents, they waited until someone else made a product and then brought out those patents to try to extort money of of the real inventors.

Even as the USPTO has acknowledged that the patents never should have been granted, and that they would be invalidated once the review process has run it's course the greedy bastards at NTP still try to use them to extort more money.

The actions of NTP are the best illustration in our lifetime of how the patent system can be abused to have the opposite effect of what they are designed for.

[jeffinToronto @ Nov 7th 2006 9:47AM]

uhhh, Revrant2394, that would be NTP not RIM. NTP is a troll. It trolls for patents to issue on dvelopments that come down the pipe for real companies that spend real money on devlopment and product launches. These guys are the ambulance chasers of the leagal profession. RIM mad a business decision to pay their ransom partly because it would be cheaper and partly for the Cdn wildcard factor (U.S. plaintiff in U.S. courts and Cdn defendant). I hope Palm countersues and takes them to task.

[Nick Pasquesi @ Nov 9th 2006 6:37PM]

NTP sued me for trademark infringement because I have their initials.