[IP] Exemption for government BlackBerry users riles others facing shutdown

[David Farber <dave@farber.net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>
Date: January 28, 2006 11:10:54 AM EST
To: undisclosed-recipient:;
Subject: Exemption for government BlackBerry users riles others  
facing shutdown


Exemption for government BlackBerry users riles others facing shutdown
'They're sticking it to private business,' says one CIO

News Story by Matt Hamblen

JANUARY 26, 2006 (COMPUTERWORLD) - Government workers and emergency
personnel would be exempt from a possible shutdown of BlackBerry
wireless e-mail service in the U.S., a situation that has
private-sector users steaming.

"They're sticking it to private business," said John Wade, CIO at St.
Luke's Health System in Kansas City, Mo. St. Luke's supports nearly
500 health care workers using the BlackBerry service.

In the ongoing patent lawsuit brought by NTP Inc. against Research In
Motion Ltd. (RIM), NTP adjusted its injunction request in a Jan. 17
memorandum to a federal judge, saying it will not seek to stop
BlackBerry service for federal, state and local government users as
well as certified first responders.

Explaining that change today, NTP attorney James Wallace Jr. said
that NTP is complying with a federal law that says federal workers
must be automatically exempted. As for the other government entities,
he said: "We're not nasty, vindictive people and we're trying to help
emergency responders. But purely commercial people are going to have
to stop using BlackBerry unless RIM pays" licensing fees to NTP. "RIM
chose not to take out a license, and the time of the free ride is
over."

While several IT managers said in interviews that they doubt a
court-ordered shutdown would ever take effect, they are miffed by the
possibility of an exemption for public-sector users.

...

http://www.computerworld.com/mobiletopics/mobile/story/ 
0,10801,108094,00.html




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