What I remember of RIM, is they took some guys code. He innovated, and they took it. He told them, and just asked for a mention in the authors page. A quick thanks mate. I'd suspect it would help him land future jobs, and be fun to talk about.
They rejected it. He died and his estate sold the rights. Then BB got sued. They should have been sued, and deserved what they got. Don't steal from devs