Injunction blocks RIM from using BBX name for new OS

Research in Motion's run of bad luck continues. Fresh after hearing a senior executive in Indonesia might be charged with negligence following the sales stampede at their BlackBerry Bold 9790 launch, the Canadian firm has now been blocked from using the name BBX for its new OS.

Software company Basis International won an injunction at a U.S. Court in Albuquerque preventing Research in Motion from using its copyrighted "BBX" trademark. The New Mexico based firm threatened RIM with legal action less than a week after it announced the new operating system to the world in October. RIM claimed that the trademark was irrelevant as they were in different sales channels, but the District Court of Albuquerque disagreed, granting the injunction in order to protect Basis International's long-standing ownership of the BBX trademark.

The decision prevents Research in Motion from using it for its upcoming operating system. It also stopped the company from using it at its Asian DevCon conference today, and tomorrow in Singapore.

"RIM doesn't typically comment on pending litigation, however RIM has already unveiled a new brand name for its next generation mobile platform. As announced at DevCon Asia, RIM plans to use the 'BlackBerry 10' brand name for its next generation mobile platform," RIM said in a statement to The Guardian.

Despite the name change, the new version, based on QNX as used in the ill-fated PlayBook, is tasked with reviving the BlackBerry brand of smartphones as at a time when Google's Android and Apple's iOS operating systems continue to grow in popularity. They've already suffered a few setbacks though, with issues surrounding compatibility with its hugely popular BlackBerry Messenger and Email services.

It was widely reported when the new OS was announced that the firm still did not have those two essential services running on its next software platform. Lack of support on its PlayBook tablet certainly hurt  sales, with many purchasing other tablets after months of waiting in vain for the update to arrive.

It has been a troubling year for RIM, with profits down, a much-publized four-day-long service outage, investor confidence at an all-time low and the write off of nearly $500m in excess PlayBook inventory. For those holding out for a PlayBook the company announced a price reduction down to $199 for the Christmas period.

Could the Blackberry London be the first device to run BBX?

Details have begun to emerge of what could be Research in Motion's next generation Blackberry smartphone running the BBX operating system. According to an exclusive by The Verge, the reportedly named Blackberry London will be the first device to launch using the new OS.

Internals are said to include a TI OMAP 1.5GHz dual core processor, 1GB RAM, 16GB of on-board storage, a 2-megapixel front facing camera, and a 8-megapixel camera on its rear. Most of the front bears a reported 3.7" touchscreen display, with no traditional keyboard in sight.

Aesthetically the London is alleged to be thinner than the iPhone 4, with dimensions roughly similar to the Samsung Galaxy S2 Android smartphone. "The phone can be stood straight up on one of its sides (suggesting more boxiness than can be seen in the picture)," said Joshua Topolsky of The Verge. In many respects it actually looks a lot like the Nokia N8, with cues from the BlackBerry Porsche.

The report caused some confusion considering the first rumoured BBX device was said to be named the Blackberry Colt. Another story by BGR appears to have dispelled any uncertainty, however. They confirmed the device was in fact real, according to a trusted source. "Our source told us that the BlackBerry Colt, the first QNX-based handset RIM had been working on that looked just like a smaller PlayBook, was scrapped in favor of the BlackBerry London."

The new smartphone is pinned for a third quarter release in 2012, though that's far from solid given that two of RIM's most vital tools, BES and BBM, are reportedly non-functional with the new BBX software right now.

Research in Motion is clearly hoping this new smartphone and the subsequent BBX devices that follow will bring around a change of fortunes for its phone business. Recent failures of its core services and the huge public outcry that followed have done little to help the current financial concerns they are experiencing.