Dolby dropped a patent infringement case against Research In Motion after the two sides reached a licensing agreement, Reuters reported on Monday. Dolby filed a lawsuit against RIM on June 15th in the United States and in Germany in an attempt to block sales of BlackBerry smartphones and the BlackBerry PlayBook. The audio company also sought to recover financial damages. Dolby accused RIM of using its “highly efficient digital audio compression technologies” and filed a suit after RIM initially declined to pay licensing fees. The terms of Monday’s licensing agreement were not disclosed. Dolby’s technology is used in a number of popular smartphones from manufacturers such as Samsung, Nokia, HTC and LG.

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Dolby announced on Wednesday that it has filed patent infringement lawsuits against Waterloo, Canada-based Research In Motion in the U.S. and in Germany. The suit seeks the recovery of financial damages resulting from RIM’s infringing products, and it also looks to halt sales of multiple BlackBerry devices. The patents in question cover “highly efficient digital audio compression technologies” that minimize storage space occupied by high quality audio files. Dolby claims that RIM uses these technologies in its BlackBerry smartphones and its PlayBook tablet, but it does not pay Dolby licensing fees as all other major manufacturers do. “Litigation was regrettably our last resort after RIM declined to pay for the use of Dolby’s technology,” Dolby EVP and general counsel Andy Sherman said in a statement. “We have a duty to protect our intellectual property.” Dolby’s full press release follows below.

Dolby Sues Research In Motion for Patent Infringement; Seeks Sales Halt Of Unlicensed Blackberry and Playbook Devices and Monetary Damages For Past Use

SAN FRANCISCO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Dolby Laboratories (NYSE:DLB), through its wholly-owned subsidiary Dolby International, has filed patent infringement lawsuits in the U.S. and Germany against Research In Motion (NASDAQ: RiMM), a Canadian manufacturer of wireless handset and tablet devices. The lawsuits seek recovery of financial damages and injunctions to halt sales of the many RIM products that infringe Dolby’s patents.

The lawsuits explain that RIM infringes Dolby patents covering highly efficient digital audio compression technologies which allow manufacturers and consumers to provide and enjoy high quality audio while using extremely limited amounts of transmission and/or storage space for such audio. RIM employs Dolby’s patented technologies in its Blackberry smart phones and Playbook tablet devices, without having obtained licenses from Dolby, the lawsuits say. All other major smart phone makers have agreed to license the Dolby technologies which are the subject of this litigation.

Dolby’s patented technologies, which have been incorporated into the international standard known as High Efficiency Advanced Audio Coding (“HE AAC”), provide the core of HE AAC. Demonstrating the value of the Dolby technologies, HE AAC is widely used in consumer electronics devices such as smart phones, portable music players, and computer tablets to play back music and other digitized audio that has been compressed to less than 10% of its original digital file size.

“Litigation was regrettably our last resort after RIM declined to pay for the use of Dolby’s technology,” said Andy Sherman, executive vice president and general counsel of Dolby. “We have a duty to protect our intellectual property.”

The U.S. lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. The German lawsuit was filed in the District Court of Mannheim in Mannheim, Germany.

The Wall Street Journal has confirmed earlier rumors that Nokia’s upcoming X7 smartphone for AT&T has been cancelled. The Nokia X7, which has not yet been announced in any official capacity, would have been a unique option for AT&T subscribers. It features the latest version of Nokia’s Symbian operating system and four speakers that create a surround sound experience. According to The Journal’s sources, Nokia cancelled the U.S. launch of the device, which was scheduled to be announced ahead of Mobile World Congress next month, because AT&T was not going to provide the subsidies or marketing support the phone needed in order to succeed. Nokia still plans to launch the X7 in other markets and will likely unveil the smartphone next month.

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This Thanksgiving weekend, Nokia fans are thankful for a first glimpse at an unannounced Nokia smartphone that appears poised to attack multimedia head on. The Nokia X7-00 has been captured on film showing off a sleek body and a set of not two, but four speakers. In light of Nokia’s new allegiance with Dolby, we assume this puppy also sports some pretty sweet surround sound capabilities. The device runs Symbian, albeit a bit slowly when cycling through home screens (calm down, it’s definitely not running a release build of the OS), and reportedly features specs in line with the Nokia N8. Nokia’s relatively new Xseries focuses on music, and it looks like the X7-00 will be the Finnish giant’s most intense music phone yet. Expect more soon, and hit the jump for a video of the X7-00 in action.

Thanks, Daniel!

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AT&T announced Thursday that the HTC Surround and Samsung Focus will be available beginning November 8th. The Surround and Focus represent two of the carrier’s three Windows Phone 7 launch phones. AT&T’s third Windows Phone 7 handset, the LG Quantum, will also launch on November 8th. The carrier also said Thursday that its BlackBerry Torch smartphone will be available in red and white starting November 7th, and that it will launch a new promotion giving a free accessory to customers who purchase two other accessories at full price. Hit the jump for a press release outlining plenty more that AT&T has in store for the holidays.

AT&T Spreads Good Cheer This Holiday Shopping Season With New Red & White Blackberry Torch 9800 Options

Other Items on Customers’ Holiday Hot Lists include Windows Phones, Wireless Accessories, Netbooks, and U-verse TV

DALLAS, Oct. 28 /PRNewswire/ –

Key Facts

* BlackBerry® Torch™ 9800 available in red and white on Nov. 7.
* New Windows Phone 7 devices from HTC and Samsung will be available in AT&T company-owned retail stores nationwide and online for $199.99 on Nov. 8 with the LG Quantum arriving in the following days.
* Lineup of netbooks and notebooks available now with AT&T’s pay-as-you-go data service.
* Beginning Nov. 7, customers can purchase any two accessories and receive a third one free.
* Customers that purchase a qualifying U-verse bundle at AT&T stores can, with an agreement to a two-year term, receive an instant $250 in-store credit to use toward a new smartphone, other AT&T wireless device or accessory(s) – starting in select cities Nov. 7.

Smartphones

AT&T* today announced the exclusive availability of new red and white versions of the BlackBerry® Torch™ 9800 smartphone – just in time for the holiday shopping season. With the arrival of three Windows Phone 7 devices in November, hot accessories, and special deals and holiday apps for AT&T U-verse® TV, AT&T is sure to have something for everyone on your holiday shopping list.

Adding to the appeal of the best BlackBerry® ever, AT&T will offer two new red and white color variants for the BlackBerry® Torch™ 9800, both exclusive to AT&T customers and in stores beginning November 7.

In addition, new Windows Phones from HTC, LG and Samsung, based on Windows Phone 7, will be available in AT&T company-owned retail stores nationwide and online for $199.99. The Samsung Focus™ and HTC Surround will be available on November 8 and the LG Quantum will be available in the following days.

Netbooks and Notebooks

Holiday shoppers can also check out AT&T’s full lineup of netbooks and notebooks available online through AT&T’s new Mobile Broadband Center. The latest devices include the Acer Aspire AS1830 Notebook and the Dell Inspiron Mini 10 HD netbook which are also available at AT&T’s more than 2,200 company-owned retail stores. As an added value, AT&T offers the AT&T DataConnect Pass – the pay-as-you-need it data service that does not require a long-term contract to access the nation’s fastest mobile broadband network.

Accessories

Shoppers who are nervous about making mobile phone purchasing decisions for others can pick up the perfect stocking stuffers and maybe even earn a holiday treat for themselves. Beginning Nov. 7 through the end of the holiday shopping season, customers can purchase any two accessories and receive a third one of equal or lesser value for free. From new options like an iHome Mini Stereo Speaker System to limited edition holiday skins on cases from ZAGG, AT&T accessories are sure to be a featured item in stockings everywhere.

AT&T U-verse

This holiday season, U-verse TV families can visit the North Pole and follow Santa around the globe with the return of the popular Santa Tracker app on channel 98. U-verse TV customers can play holiday games, vote in the “Naughty or Nice” poll, play sing-a-longs and read-a-longs for popular holiday music and stories, listen to holiday songs on “Reindeer Radio,” and on Christmas Eve, they can watch real-time reports from the Santa News Network to see if Santa has left the North Pole and can track his sleigh as he travels around the globe. The app will be available at no extra cost to all AT&T U-verse TV customers with an AT&T U-verse High Speed Internet account.

Beginning Nov. 7, customers that purchase a qualifying U-verse bundle in company-owned retail locations can, with an agreement to a two-year term, receive an instant $250 in-store credit to use toward a new smartphone, other AT&T wireless device or accessory(s). The offer will be available initially in Houston, Chicago, Hartford, Los Angeles, San Diego and Miami, and expanded to all U-verse markets in time for the holidays.

With U-verse Choice bundles, new U-verse TV customers benefit from significant monthly savings for one year. AT&T U-verse Choice bundles let customers, with a one year term commitment, choose U-verse TV, U-verse High Speed Internet, and either U-verse Voice or AT&T wireless – with DVR service and premium features included and a one-year price guarantee.

For the complete array of AT&T offerings, visit the AT&T website. To locate the closest AT&T store, customers can visit our store locator. Additional information on the customer experience and service support is available online at About AT&T.

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The arrival of the LG Viewty’s successor is rumored to take place some time this June, but only for our good friends in the UK. Jealousy would be an issue towards Orange subscribers across the pond because this iteration packs an 8 megapixel camera with a host of picture/video options, new S-Class 3D user interface, WVGA touchscreen, A-GPS, DivX, Dolby sound, 32GB expandable storage, 7.2 Mbps 3G speed and Wi-Fi. Phones of this capacity seem to be increasingly standard fare these days, but we’re still excited when they launch. If you’re looking to dodge crazy crowds and frantic lines this summer, maybe, don’t let this one slip under your radar.

[Via Electric Pig]

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