By Mark Evans
Contributing Writer, RealTechNews

It is not a good day for Blackberry-maker Research in Motion after a U.S. judge ruled a $450-million patent settlement reached earlier this year between RIM and NTP can’t be enforced. U.S. District court judge James Spencer will now decide whether and/or how to impose an injunction that could prevent RIM from selling Blackberrys in the U.S. So what does RIM do now? They can settle the patent dispute with NTP, which will cost them a whole lot more than $450-million; they can wait until the U.S. Patent Office completes its review of NTP’s patents, which RIM disputes; or RIM can implement a software work-around that will continue to do business in the U.S. even if an injunction comes down.

We Say: My sense is both sides are so well-entrenched and so convinced of their positions, a settlement could be the last of the three options explored.

(I’ve been nominated for the Canadian Blog Awards in two categories – Best Business Blog and Best Media Blog. If you want to vote – round one ends today – please click here. Thanks, Mark)