Techdirt notes that a ruling by Judge James R. Spencer of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia halting NTP Inc’s patent infringement lawsuit against Palm Inc. until the U.S. Patent and Trademark (PTO) rules on whether they infringe on wireless e-mail patents held by is the exact opposite of the same judge’s previous ruling against a simialr halt in NTP’s lawsuit against Research In Motition. Faced with a potential injuction shuting down its BlackBerry email service RIM paid NTP $612.5 million in March 2006 to drop its lawsuit.
One reason for the ruling may have been the May 16, 2006 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that a injunction does not have to be automatically issued against am infringing company.