1. nabil114's Avatar
    Why? They should focus on being a standalone company that creates shareholder value.

    BlackBerry heads to Ottawa in bid to clear path for future deal - The Globe and Mail

    BlackBerry Ltd. is stepping up its lobbying efforts in Ottawa in a bid to smooth regulatory hurdles if the company can find a foreign buyer for its struggling business.

    The Waterloo, Ont.-based smartphone maker recently added the Investment Canada Act to its discussion topics with government officials under the lobbying registry, which previously included a number of topics ranging from intellectual property legislation to tax policy, law enforcement and other subjects.

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    BlackBerry executives have met with government officials to discuss the implications of any deal that may involve a foreign company, even though no such deal is imminent, according to sources familiar with the situation. The meetings, government sources say, are to familiarize Ottawa with BlackBerry�s strategic review process and help the company understand the rules a takeover bid would face.

    Government sources say meetings with BlackBerry are to ensure there are no surprises in Ottawa as the firm anticipates bids or offers for its business. The government has not been informed of any formal offers, and would be unlikely to give assurances about any deal before the fact.

    BlackBerry last month announced the creation of a board committee charged with considering the company�s �strategic options,� including a sale of the entire company, which has been clobbered by rivals in the smartphone industry. A hoped-for comeback, powered by a new line of phones, hasn�t materialized.

    But so far, no clear suitor has emerged. Microsoft Corp., once rumoured to be an interested party, instead opted to buy Nokia�s phone business. Some possible foreign buyers, including China�s Lenovo Group Ltd., may not have the resources to make a deal work � and the prospect of a Chinese firm owning part or all of a mobile network that runs many sensitive government phones may also cause concern in Ottawa.

    The most substantive meetings between BlackBerry officials and the government have been with the Investment Canada division of Industry Canada, the unit that would review any foreign takeover.

    Any deal involving BlackBerry would easily pass the $344-million threshold that triggers a government review. A bid that is not majority-led by a Canadian firm, such as Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd., the Toronto-based private equity firm that is already BlackBerry�s biggest shareholder, would also trigger a foreign investment review. So far, efforts to have Canadian pension funds combine forces on a BlackBerry buyout have found little traction, according to sources.

    Still, BlackBerry�s efforts in Ottawa appeared aimed at making sure there would be no surprises should a buyer surface.

    �Of course they would want to do this,� said BGC Financial analyst Colin Gillis. �It doesn�t mean they have a Chinese buyer or an American buyer � it�s due diligence.�

    A BlackBerry spokeswoman declined to comment on the company�s meetings in Ottawa.

    There has been little in the way of good news for the company as it tries to find a buyer. This week, it undertook a small round of layoffs related to its U.S. sales team, but a spokeswoman did not stipulate how many positions were affected. U.S. BlackBerry sales have plummeted in recent years, and the company now controls just 1 to 3 per cent of the market there, according to multiple research reports.

    The company reports its next quarterly results on Sept. 27.

    Though BlackBerry�s smartphone business is struggling, much of the the company�s value lies with its broad portfolio of technology patents.

    �If I were Apple � and I just wanted to get at their patents, I would consider making a run at them,� Mr. Gillis said.
    09-11-13 09:36 PM
  2. Dave Bourque's Avatar
    Obviously they are coming to see me. Lol

    Posted via CB10
    09-11-13 09:40 PM
  3. nabil114's Avatar
    Obviously they are coming to see me. Lol

    Posted via CB10
    It is funny.
    09-11-13 09:47 PM
  4. hxcellent's Avatar
    Obviously if BB is a private company they will have a better chance. It gives them time to develop without the distraction. Without all these bad news, I believe after a few more updates, Blackberry will get the wheel rolling.

    Bad news = preventing people from upgrading to the new Blackberry device. They don't know how much better the OS is in comparison to the competitor.
    09-11-13 10:13 PM
  5. IgotsThis's Avatar
    The "cutting of sales staff support" has already been clarified. 60 employees transferred over to the United States to help out over here, they weren't cut.

    BBM channels: c00121c99 for some knowledge and c00123fca for some real hip hop
    09-11-13 10:19 PM
  6. nabil114's Avatar
    Obviously if BB is a private company they will have a better chance. It gives them time to develop without the distraction. Without all these bad news, I believe after a few more updates, Blackberry will get the wheel rolling.

    Bad news = preventing people from upgrading to the new Blackberry device. They don't know how much better the OS is in comparison to the competitor.
    I believe just the opposite. If they are in under more pressure, they will perform well. When no one said anything, they did not do anything.
    09-12-13 02:43 PM
  7. jojo beaconsfield's Avatar
    Perella Weinberg,A boutique investment firm has just been hired by BB yesterday,guess who are some of the Partners ?---------------- Joseph R.Perella former vice chairman of Morgan Stanley ---------------- Peter Weinberg Former CEO of Goldman Sacks -------------------- Ivan Seidenberg Former Ceo of Verizon Communications ------- none of these firms have helped BB succeed in the past year . Is BB putting out a White flag by hiring these creeps?
    09-12-13 03:07 PM
  8. jojo beaconsfield's Avatar
    The actual name is Perella Weinberg Partners and they have been retained as advisors for a possible sale of the company,seems like all the bad press that those guys ex companies have given BB is going to pay off in some really huge commissions,pure manipulation !What kind of world do we live in?Big money always wins.Prem you have to do something,don't let the Bums steal this Canadian Company!!!
    09-12-13 03:33 PM
  9. Kriilin Namek's Avatar
    It's all up to the Feds. IMO, BB has way too much sensitive tech that's vital to Canada's interests to leave the country. All most people see are smartphones, but don't realize the overall importance of QNX and Certicom to national security. The really vital stuff is business to business, which the average person doesn't see. The smartphones are the least of the government's worries. Want China to have the source code that runs nuclear power stations, the grid itself, or Cisco infrastructure? I saw John Manley on BNN today respond to a direct question if he'd use a BB if the Chinese owned them. He stammered, his blink rate went through the roof, and he diverted the question.
    09-12-13 10:11 PM

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