RIM wins patent victory

US Patent Office has effectively invalidated a patent that RIM was accused of violating

Research in Motion has won a small but potentially important victory in its patent battle against NTP, a small patent holding company.

In a preliminary ruling the US Patent and Trademark Office effectively invalidated a patent that RIM was accused of violating.

The disputed patent describes a technology that powered RIM's BlackBerry device. But new evidence is believed to show that a Norwegian firm filed patents for such a technology before NTP.

The Patent and Trademark Office still has to make a final ruling, which can then be appealed by NTP. The whole process could take several years.

The ruling is the first bit of good news in a long time for RIM.

A jury found in 2002 that the manufacturer infringed on a patent owned by NTP. Appeals were thrown out and settlement talks failed.

Last week a judge in the case made two new rulings against RIM. The manufacturer unsuccessfully asked to halt the case until the patent appeals process was finished.

The judge also denied a request to validate a settlement that the two parties negotiated earlier this year before it fell apart.