Natonal business briefs

Motorola, BlackBerry maker sue each other Motorola Inc. and BlackBerry maker Research In Motion Ltd. (RIM) sued each other over mobile-phone patents, each claiming its competitor is using handset technology without permission. Motorola, the biggest U.S. maker of mobile phones, asked a U.S. judge in Marshall, Texas, Feb. 16 to order Research In Motion to stop the infringement. That company filed its own suit in federal court in Dallas the same day over similar claims, a RIM spokeswoman said Monday. Winning the dispute would help the victor bolster its rank in the market for "smart phones" that can send e-mail, sales of which are growing almost six times as fast as that of the overall industry.

Amtrak to add random screening of luggage Amtrak will start randomly screening passengers' carry-on bags this week in a new security push that includes officers with automatic weapons and bomb-sniffing dogs patrolling platforms and trains. The initiative, to be announced by the railroad today, is a significant shift for Amtrak. Unlike the airlines, it has had relatively little visible increase in security since the 2001 terrorist attacks. Officials insist their new procedures won't hold up the flow of passengers or require arrival at stations far in advance. The railroad plans to roll out the new "mobile security teams" first on the Northeast Corridor between Washington and Boston, Amtrak's most heavily used route, before expanding to the rest of the country.

Attorneys contest plea deal in '05 refinery blast Attorneys for victims of the 2005 explosion at BP PLC's Texas City, Texas, refinery contend the oil giant's fine could be as much as $3.2 billion, dwarfing the $50 million being proposed in a plea agreement. Attorneys said the fine should be at least $400 million. The proposed fines were included in court documents filed by victims' attorneys last week at the request of U.S. District Judge Lee Rosenthal, who is deciding whether to accept a plea deal from BP. The agreement proposes that BP plead guilty to a violation of the Clean Air Act and pay a $50 million fine for its criminal conduct in the blast, which killed 15 people and injured more than 170 others. The company would also be on probation for three years. Plant manager Keith Casey formally entered the guilty plea on behalf of the company earlier this month. The plea was part of an October agreement by BP to pay $373 million to settle various criminal and civil charges. But blast victims' attorneys asked the judge to reject the deal.

Britain draws criticism in taking lender public British Prime Minister Gordon Brown's government faced accusations of mismanagement Monday as it began nationalizing stricken mortgage lender Northern Rock PLC -- the first time in 20 years that a private company in Britain has been taken into public ownership. The government for months had insisted a private sale was preferred. But Brown said that nationalization was the best choice until market conditions improve. David Cameron, leader of the Conservative Party, said, "The nationalization of Northern Rock is a disaster for the British taxpayer, a disaster for this government and a disaster for our country."