VOA慢速英语20060210a

ECONOMICS REPORT - Company Says Legal Threat Will Not Stop BlackBerry E-mail ServiceBy Mario Ritter

Broadcast: Friday, February 10, 2006

I'm Faith Lapidus with the VOA Special English Economics Report.

Millions of people hold the world in their hand. Small wireless¹ devices let them use e-mail, search the Internet and get the latest news. But lately the news has worried many users of the popular BlackBerry devices from the Canadian company Research in Motion. A small company in Virginia has asked a court to shut down most BlackBerry service in the United States.


Example of a BlackBerry

Network Technology Partners does not make or sell products. N.T.P. is a patent holding company. And it says Research in Motion is using technology protected by patents held by N.T.P.

Research in Motion says BlackBerry was invented independently of the patents. And the United States Patent and Trademark² Office has rejected all five in dispute, though its decision was not final.

But in two thousand two a federal jury in Virginia sided with Network Technology Partners. The jury ordered Research in Motion to pay N.T.P. millions of dollars. In two thousand three Research in Motion lost an appeal. A court gave an order that would stop the company from selling many of its products in the United States.

The case continues. Last month the United States Supreme³ Court refused to get involved. A judge called a hearing for February twenty-fourth on the possibility of suspending BlackBerry service.

Many government agencies that use the devices would not be included. And other users might not have to worry either.

On Thursday, Research in Motion announced it has developed and tested software workaround designs for all its BlackBerry handsets. It says these workarounds will permit service to continue should the court shut down the existing system.

Jim Balsillie, the chairman and co-chief executive officer, described the action as an attempt to balance N.T.P.'s threats. He says his company remains⁴ willing to enter into a settlement. He says N.T.P. risks losing all future payments if the workaround is put into effect.

Research in Motion said it will put the software on a Web site at a later date. The company in Waterloo, Ontario, says it has more than four million users worldwide.

The case has led a number of technology companies to call for new laws to limit lawsuits⁵ like this one. But supporters of current patent laws say these are the only way for small patent holders⁶ to enforce their rights.

This VOA Special English Economics Report was written by Mario Ritter. Read and listen to our reports at www.unsv.com. I'm Faith Lapidus.

1 wireless   

adj.无线的；n.无线电

参考例句：

• There are a lot of wireless links in a radio.收音机里有许多无线电线路。
• Wireless messages tell us that the ship was sinking.无线电报告知我们那艘船正在下沉。

2 trademark   

n.商标；特征；vt.注册的…商标

参考例句：

• The trademark is registered on the book of the Patent Office.该商标已在专利局登记注册。
• The trademark of the pen was changed.这钢笔的商标改了。

3 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

4 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

5 lawsuits   

n.诉讼( lawsuit的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Lawsuits involving property rights and farming and grazing rights increased markedly. 涉及财产权，耕作与放牧权的诉讼案件显著地增加。 来自辞典例句
• I've lost and won more lawsuits than any man in England. 全英国的人算我官司打得最多，赢的也多，输的也多。 来自辞典例句

6 holders   

支持物( holder的名词复数 )； 持有者； （支票等）持有人； 支托（或握持）…之物

参考例句：

• Slaves were mercilessly ground down by slave holders. 奴隶受奴隶主的残酷压迫。
• It is recognition of compassion's part that leads the up-holders of capital punishment to accuse the abolitionists of sentimentality in being more sorry for the murderer than for his victim. 正是对怜悯的作用有了认识，才使得死刑的提倡者指控主张废除死刑的人感情用事，同情谋杀犯胜过同情受害者。