Lovells leads RIM to BlackBerry patent win

Lovells has successfully defended BlackBerry-maker Research in Motion (RIM) and T-Mobile, winning the high-profile patent dispute against Inpro in the High Court today.

The High Court decision, which was made public this morning, found Luxembourg-based IP company Inpro’s UK patent was invalid.

Inpro sued BlackBerry and T-Mobile, claiming it owned the patent for a technology system that allows data to move from a computer to a hand-held device. It claimed the technology was being used illegally by BlackBerry and T-Mobile.

The decision was greeted with relief by T-Mobile, which is one of the largest suppliers of BlackBerrys to the UK market.

Lovells litigation partner Nicola Dagg led the defence team for RIM and T-Mobile. Bird & Bird partner Peter Brownlow also acted for T-Mobile and Anthony Watson QC of Three New Square represented RIM and T-Mobile throughout the court proceedings.

Brownlow told The Lawyer, the decision was a significant win for the firm’s IP litigation team.

“It’s certainly the biggest IP litigation case Bird & Bird has worked on for T-Mobile,” he said.

Dechert advised Inpro, led by Duncan Black. James Mellor and Andrew Lykiardopoulos also represented Inpro.

The case has been watched closely by the UK telecoms industry because a decision against RIM could have led to the removal of the BlackBerry device from the market.