DISQUS

Possibility that the shutdown would cause a catastrophe which would inspire millions to plead for patent reform is talked about here.

Perhaps more interesting news to you would be that the USPTO looks like it is going to invalidate all 5 of NTP's core patents that it is trying to excercise against RIM, but the courts have already decided to force a settlement without waiting for the USPTO's final ruling.

You don't need to care about the particulars of the case between these two, but you should care about a terribly broken patent system that rewards abusive government-backed monopolies on obvious and vague ideas, often even if those ideas are already embodied in common practice. The NTP patents are a perfect example of this -- they cover using a wireless medium to transmit email. Innovative, no? I don't know about you, but I'm sure glad NTP invented that idea, or else no one would have ever figured it out [sarcasm off].

If the USPTO doesn't invalidate these patents, I guess we're (not just RIM -- all of us) looking at 20 years of paying NTP for their email-over-wireless patent(s). Because, guaranteed, if they prevail against RIM, they'll go after everyone else that does anything even vaguely similar, including cell-phone makers/providers, maybe even that wireless hub you have in your home -- ever sent email with that baby?