The Wireless Access Group of Glenayre Technologies, based in Santa Clara,
California, has filed suit against RIM in U.S. District Court in San Francisco. The
company claims RIM's pagers violate one of their patents and seeks unspecified
monetary damages. The complaint was filed July 14.

Glenayre is a once-promising Canadian technology company that is neither
Canadian nor promising anymore. They began operations in Vancouver in 1963 but
left the country ten years ago. They're now based in North Carolina. Glenayre
acquired Wireless Access Inc. of Santa Clara in 1997 which became their
Wireless Access Group. The company sells two-way pagers for Motorola's
ReFLEX protocol.

The patent in question -- "Apparatus for generating power for use in a
communications device" -- was granted to Wireless Access Inc. in 1997.

RIM says Glenayre offered them a license for the disputed technology for a
one-time fee of US$4 million (RIM's most recent balance sheet showed C$90
million in cash), but they intend to launch a defence against the charges.

Source:
CTT TECH DIGEST -- August 1999
Issue 30 -- September 13, 1999
http://www.garywill.com/waterloo/ctt9908.htm