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You aren't getting it. NTP didn't invent squat. They don't invent anything or make any products. Most of their employees are lawyers. They are a patent holding company who go out and either buy other people's patents or patent common no-brainer ideas and wait for someone else to do the work. Then they demand payment or sue. So yes, they are scum of the earth.
Also, it's not that the patent office knowingly gives invalid patents. It's actually easy to get a patent as the initial process doesn't involve much research on their part. Only if there is a conflict, such as in this case, does the patent office review (and reverse if necessary) previously issued patents.
Actually, I don't have (much) of a problem with what initially went down between NTP and RIM. I still think its a scummy business, but its RIM's business how they wanted to deal with it. The thing that burns me is, NTP has a deal with RIM for $450,000,000. Not a bad paycheck for doing nothing. But when NTP got greedy and realized they could go for twice as much (some say they want as much as $1 billion), they renegged on the deal. And the dumba$$ courts decided that going back on a deal is apparently OK. Considering the kid of business NTP engages it and that most of their employees are lawyers, I'm not really surprised though.
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