Canada's Federal Court says RIM can use BBM as abbreviation for BlackBerry Messenger

Can things get any worse for RIM? A rapidly sinking stock, miserable earnings forecasts, departing executives and competition that is well ahead of BlackBerry has left the Canadian based manufacturer looking to hold on to any sort of hope. Not that it changes anything in terms of BlackBerry's future prospects, but RIM actually received a favorable ruling in Federal Court of Canada on Thursday.

RIM had been taken to task by Jim MacLeod, president and CEO of BBM Canada who last December said loudly that he wanted his company's name back. RIM and its fans use BBM to signify the BlackBerry Messenger system that is one of the reasons that people still buy BlackBerry devices. Even though BBM Canada's use of the abbreviation goes back more than 60 years and it would certainly seem that it owned the trademark, the fact that both firms operate in different industries allowed the Federal Court of Canada to rule in RIM's favor. RIM, of course, is in the wireless telecommunications industry while BBM Canada is involved in broadcasting.

Currently, RIM has 59 million BBM users globally and while it might not have been the end of the world to have to change the abbreviation of BlackBerry Messenger, just the idea of something going RIM's way is something for the company to and its fans to celebrate.source: Globe via MobileSyrup