RIM put an end to Dolby’s lawsuits over audio Monday by negotiating a patent licensing deal. BlackBerry phones and the PlayBook tablet will now have a license to use Dolby’s mobile-friendly HE AAC audio format. Neither side said how much the deal costs, although RIM had quietly obtained the license on August 4.
Dolby had sued RIM in June over claims that it was violating patents by using HE AAC for music and other audio without permission. The court time followed as a “last resort,” but it’s believed RIM may have balked at the rates Dolby originally wanted and might have pushed for less.
If the lawsuit had reached a conclusion, it could have led to a ban on BlackBerry phones, a potentially fatal move for RIM after having just revamped its entire smartphone line.
