[Tom]

Over the last week or so, we have had unauthorized postings of beta releases for the upcoming BlackBerry OS 4.5. Any operating system that is still in BETA, and not available to the general public will NOT to be tolerated to be linked to, posted, or any other mechanism of transmission through the pages of BlackBerryForums.com, including the private message system.

If you have received a copy of this OS, even if you have no legal obligation to RIM by way of NDA (RIM-designated beta testing team, carrier or ISV partner, etc), please do not post the beta OS or links to the beta OS on this forum. Postings that violate this policy will result in a deletion of your post. Multiple violations by the same offender of this policy will result in a swift, immediate, and permanent ban from BlackBerryForums.com and all communities associated with the website.

We have worked hard at BlackBerryForums.com to build a strong relationship with Research In Motion, in addition to fostering the public sharing and availability of BlackBerry knowledge to the general masses, and we do not intended to have the misguided efforts of a few to tear down the institution we have made for everyone over the last 5 years. The postings of these OS's border legal implications on various fronts and we will do what is necessary to protect BlackBerryForums.com while attempting to comply with any legal obligations set forth by RIM during their beta testing stages.

Beta software is still in beta for a reason, whether it be legal or device stability or otherwise. Installation of the software could render your device useless or prompt support from RIM or the forum for software that was not designed to be available to you in the first place.

Also, while you may not realize that posting a beta OS on this forum actually HURTS the progress of the collective efforts of Research In Motion, its developers and testers, and their relationships with their carrier and ISV partners, it does. It may allow you to get your hands on something "new" in the interim, but it also hinders the future efforts for software development in their attempts at keeping more strict wraps on the selective distribution of these development OS builds.

Thanks.

Tom
Owner, BlackBerryForums.com