RIM can’t seem to catch a break these days. Dolby today announced that it has filed patent infringement lawsuits against Research In Motion in both the US and Germany. The suits allege that RIM is using some patented “highly efficient digital audio compression technologies” without having obtained the necessary licenses from Dolby. Dolby has not only asked for financial damages but also for a halt to sales of any products (both BlackBerry smartphones and the PlayBook tablet) that infringe on these patents.
“Litigation was regrettably our last resort after RIM declined to pay for the use of Dolby’s technology,” said Andy Sherman, executive vice president and general counsel of Dolby. “We have a duty to protect our intellectual property.”
Dolby points out that all other major smartphone makers (none are named) have agreed to license the Dolby technologies involved in this litigation.