A US Court overturned an earlier ruling which found RIM guilty of patent infringement, which would have seen it liable for a US$147.2 million payment to Mformation.

Mformation, a device management specialist, has not commented on the current position. According to RIM, while an appeal can be made, the original verdict would not be reinstated – instead a new trial would take place.

In a statement, Steve Zipperstein, chief legal officer of the troubled BlackBerry maker, said: “The purpose of the patent system is to encourage innovation, but the system is still too often exploited in pursuit of other goals”.

Separately, Nokia sold a portfolio of more than 500 patents and applications to Vringo, a company which said it is “engaged in the innovation, development and monetisation of mobile technologies and intellectual property”.

Nokia will receive a cash payment, and “certain ongoing rights in revenue generated from the patent portfolio”.

According to the acquirer, “the portfolio encompasses a broad range of technologies relating to cellular infrastructure, including communication management, data and signal transmission, mobility management, radio resources management and services”.

Some 31 of the 124 patent families acquired have been declared essential to wireless communication standards.

Vringo was previously described as “a provider of software platforms for mobile social and video applications”, having seen some success in this field.

Last month it merged with intellectual property company Innovate/Protect.