RIM Announces Patent Design-Around Contingency Plan

If you have a Blackberry, then you probably received this announcement from RIM:

On February 9, 2006, Research In Motion (RIM) announced that it has developed and tested software workaround designs for all BlackBerry® handsets operating on converged voice/data networks in the United States. This software update, called "BlackBerry Multi-Mode Edition", has been designed as a contingency to allow BlackBerry service to continue should the court implement an injunction in the United States in the current litigation involving the NTP patents.

RIM invested significant engineering effort to develop workaround
designs that remain invisible to users and maintain the existing platform
benefits for system administrators, application developers and network operators
while modifying the necessary underlying elements of the BlackBerry message
delivery system to be fundamentally different from the NTP patent claims. All
information on BlackBerry Multi-Mode Edition, including an

Overview, FAQ's and RIM's press release of February 9, 2006, is available at
www.blackberry.com/go/workaround. Please note: As RIM stated in its press release today, the software workaround designs remain a contingency plan because the court has not yet ruled on an injunction. RIM partners and customers do not need to take any action at this point in time.