Shares of Research in Motion continue to climb, as investors bet against the likelihood that the company's popular BlackBerry email service will be shut down in the U.S.

RIM shares were up almost one per cent on Friday trading on the TSX.

Analysts and fund managers who hold RIM shares say its looks increasingly likely that RIM will settle its ongoing patent dispute with NTP Inc. of Virginia, rather than see the service blacked out.

NTP maintains that RIM's BlackBerry pagers use patented technology owned by NTP, without its permission.

The U.S. represents about 70 per cent of the BlackBerry market, and the prospect that a judge would issue an injunction closing down the service has business executives and political leaders wondering how they will get along without the devices.

The U.S. government has even joined the dispute, arguing that BlackBerry's are vital to national security.

RIM is counting on rulings from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in its fight against the injunction. The Patent Office has issued a preliminary decision that NTP's patents should be cancelled.

One analyst says there's a 95 per cent chance RIM will settle rather than face a shutdown. RIM and NTP reached a US$450 million settlement last year, but the agreement broke down, raising the possibility a judge will order the service be suspended.