Research in Motion (RIM) has said it is "pretty close" to being able to spill the beans on the technology it believes will allow it to stay operational should its legal antagonist, NTP, persuade the US District Court to shut down the patent-infringing service.

So said RIM co-CEO Jim Balsillie in an interview with the Reuters news agency, though he's presumably hoping such a course won't prove necessary: the US Patent and Trademark Office this weekend said it would try to speed a formal decision on the validity of the NTP intellectual property at the heart of the RIM battle.

RIM's response has been to field Balsillie for regular interviews with the likes of Reuters and Associated Press, to continue to put a positive spin on the case. His latest comments come not only after the US PTO's pledge to conclude its review of NTP's patents with "special dispatch" - it's clearly under pressure from BlackBerry-using government agencies unwilling to be deprived of their email - but also as Judge James Spencer of the US District Court for Eastern Virginia told NTP and RIM to file briefs by 1 February. NTP is expected to ask the Judge for an injunction against RIM that would prevent the Canadian company from offering its service in the US.

At which point, presumably, RIM will reveal a solution that it hopes will allow it to continue working there - provided, of course, Judge Spencer can be convinced that it doesn't infringe on NTP's patents.

The US PTO has already said it believes the relevant patents are invalid, but it has yet to annul them formally. Until it does, they stand, and RIM is in infringement. ®

Related stories

• RIM puts $613m settlement in motion (3 March 2006)
• RIM prepares to post ban-beating Blackberry update (9 February 2006)
• Auction planned for 1,000 patents (27 January 2006)
• Date set for Blackberry ban hearing (26 January 2006)
• Review ATI Radeon X1900 XT and XTX (24 January 2006)
• Supremes shun RIM - again (24 January 2006)
• RIM: US economy up spout if Blackberry shut out (19 January 2006)
• Intel backs RIM in Supreme Court appeal bid (12 January 2006)
• RIM cuts Q4 subscriber forecast - again (22 December 2005)
• Visto sues Microsoft for sync patent infringement (15 December 2005)
• Visto razzes RIM with NTP alliance (15 December 2005)
• NTP rejects RIM settlement offer (12 December 2005)
• US Patent Office rejects remaining NTP vs RIM patent (5 December 2005)
• RIM battles PDA patent holder in UK court (1 December 2005)
• Weary Judge wants RIM to write the cheque (1 December 2005)
• RIM reduces Q3, Q4 new-user totals (24 November 2005)
• RIM touts 'NTP-beating' Blackberry update (17 November 2005)
• Nokia buys Intellisync (17 November 2005)