Nokia versus RIM: a patent dispute could result in a BlackBerry sales ban

Research in Motion is on a roll this month, with a BlackBerry 10 launch date announcement and share price upgrades by several high-profile analysts. Still, it wouldn’t be RIM without some bad news mixed in, and the latest is bad enough to imperil the budding comeback: Nokia has won one of its patent disputes against RIM, which could bar the company from selling BlackBerrys. A Swedish arbitration panel has ruled that RIM can’t sell devices that use a crucial patent for accessing wireless local access networks until it pays damages and royalties, and Nokia is taking RIM to court in the U.S., the U.K. and Canada to enforce the decision. An outright sales ban is one possible outcome, though it’s more likely the two companies will work out a settlement and royalty agreement, which could cost RIM up to $350 million a year. Not exactly chump change for a company trying to turn its fortunes around. [Toronto Star]