The sale of BlackBerry patents could hurt the tech industry

BlackBerry’s mobile device and messaging patents have been bought out. This could lead to a lot of legal battles in the tech industry.

BlackBerry has countless patents under its belt, patents registered over the years of its existence. As is the case with most technology companies. It turns out that BlackBerry has now decided to sell its patents on mobile devices and messaging. And that could be a very bad move for many tech companies.

BlackBerry’s mobile device and messaging patents have been bought out

Indeed, BlackBerry was sold to another company called Catapult IP Innovations. While the sale of patents and other licensing is nothing new, the fact that Catapult IP innovations do not sell or manufacture anything in their own name may be a sign that the company may decide to attack various companies for infringing on currently held patents. at his disposal., which means making money.

This could lead to a lot of legal battles in the tech industry.

This agreement is valued at $600 million, for which Catapult IP Innovations has taken out a loan of up to $450 million. The balance is to be paid within the next three years. As ArsTechnica notes, this leaves Catapult IP Innovations with $150 million in debt. And since the company does not manufacture or sell any products or services on its own behalf, the only way to make money is to attack those they believe are infringing on their newly acquired patents.

There are a number of companies, such as Catapult IP Innovations, that buy or file patents for the sole purpose of taking companies to court and getting them to sign settlement agreements to avoid the cost of lengthy litigation. Many companies, such as Apple, have already dealt with such companies. With this sale, we wouldn’t be surprised if this list grows significantly.