Reality Sets In for Nokia and RIM After Patent-Boost Fades

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) won a decisive patent case victory over Samsung, and it is no surprise that Apple is asking that at least eight Samsung products not be allowed to be sold in the United States. While the news was good for Apple, the news briefly acted to bolster both Nokia Corp. (NYSE: NOK) and Research In Motion Ltd. (NASDAQ: RIMM) share prices. Apple hit a new high on Monday, but the percentage gains out of the chute were far larger at the start of the week for Nokia and RIM.

That was then.

Nokia and RIM are still in trouble, and no Samsung disruption is going to bring immediate salvation to their product offerings in the immediate future. Even if the lack of non-Apple competition does help, the vote so far is that the help will not be enough to stave off this bloodletting trend of Nokia and RIM.

All you need to do is look at the share prices of each and the performance this week. Both stocks resembled classic “gap and crap” patterns, where the gap up was met by immediate selling.

RIM shares closed at $6.94 on Friday, but they gapped up more than 5% to $7.29 on Monday morning on the Apple-Samsung news. The high was also $7.29, and shares then slid to $7.07 at the close on Monday and then to $7.02 for Tuesday’s close. After a 1.3% drop so far on Wednesday, the price of $6.93 is now a penny less than where RIM’s shares were on a prepatent news basis.

The Finns are not doing much better. Nokia shares closed at $3.28 on Friday, gapped up 7.4% to $3.31 at the Monday open with a high of $3.39 that day. Monday’s close of $3.25 was under the opening price and shares closed at $3.03 on Tuesday. Now shares are down by 5% at $2.85.

Nokia and RIM might as well tell their employees that they will only get coal in their stockings this holiday season. The post-news trading reaction is only just further confirming that what was good for Apple does not really mean that anything is better for Nokia or for RIM.

JON C. OGG