Research In Motion Ltd

Research in Motion Ltd., operator of the BlackBerry e-mail service, and patent owner NTP Inc. traded accusations about their offers to settle a dispute that threatens to ban most use of the hand-held device in the U.S. "RIM's public assertions that NTP has not proposed a license that protects its carriers is both disingenuous and intentionally misleading," Arlington, Va.-based NTP said. "Don't be fooled by NTP's aggressive stance," said Mark Guibert, a Research in Motion vice president.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office granted NTP Inc.'s request for more time to respond to an agency review of patents at the center of a dispute over Research in Motion Ltd.'s BlackBerry wireless e-mail device. The patent office gave NTP, a patent licensing firm in Arlington, Va., until Feb. 28 to submit responses to nonfinal rejections of three of its patents, according to the agency's website.

Research in Motion Ltd. said fourth-quarter profit would come in at the low end of its target, signaling the BlackBerry maker sacrificed margins to gain customers. Gross margin, or the percentage of revenue left after production costs, also will be at the lower end, Research in Motion said. The results suggest the latest models, such as the Storm and the Bold, have won fewer customers than some of the older BlackBerrys, according to analysts. The company's most recent targets, given in December, were 83 to 91 cents for per-share profit and 40% to 41% for gross margin.

Research in Motion Ltd.'s fourth-quarter profit soared as it released new devices and won market share. The shares fell after sales trailed analysts' estimates and the company disclosed a formal probe by regulators. Net income rose to $187.9 million, or 99 cents a share, from $18.4 million, or 10 cents, a year earlier, the company said. Sales climbed 66% to $930.4 million, missing the $935.4 million average estimate of analysts in a Bloomberg survey.

Research in Motion Ltd. received a U.S. patent for an e-mail technology that may help protect its BlackBerry pager from being duplicated by rivals. The patented system allows BlackBerry users to receive messages on their hand-held devices and on their computers through the same e-mail address, the Waterloo, Canada-based company said. Palm Inc.

Don't stand between bureaucrats and their BlackBerrys. Eager to keep federal thumbs tapping, the Justice Department this week stepped into a long-running patent dispute that threatens to pull the popular and addictive BlackBerry hand-held e-mail device off the market. The feds want to ensure that even if a judge stops BlackBerry sales and service, government workers won't get cut off.

Research in Motion Ltd. reported a doubling of profit and issued a forecast that topped analysts' estimates on demand for its popular BlackBerry. Sales of the device with phone, e-mail, map and music player functions helped propel net income to $370.5 million, or 65 cents a share, in the company's fiscal third quarter, compared with $175.2 million, or 31 cents, a year earlier. Analysts in a Bloomberg survey had expected a profit of 62 cents.

Research in Motion Ltd. said earnings surged beyond expectations in its fiscal fourth quarter, fueled by subscriber growth for its BlackBerry two-way e-mail pager and shipments of its wireless hand-held products to AOL Time Warner Inc. The news sent RIM shares up as much as 29% in after-hours trading to $28.19. The stock had closed off $2.82 at $21.93 on Nasdaq before the results were announced. The Canadian company's operating earnings surged 159% to $8.

Jim Balsillie, co-chief executive of BlackBerry maker Research in Motion Ltd., stepped down as chairman Monday as the company announced a $250-million earnings restatement relating to mistakes in how it granted stock options. RIM said it found no intentional misconduct by executives, directors or other employees responsible for administering option grants.