BlackBerry issues a press release recently stating they were suing ® Typo Products LLC, which is a startup founded by Laurence Hallier and TV host and media personality Ryan Seacrest, announced the Typo Keyboard would be available for pre-order this month. According to Blackberry, Typo is infringing on a patent owned by Blackberry, and they are blatantly copying BlackBerry’s keyboard with its iPhone keyboard case designed to slip on to iPhone devices.
“This is a blatant infringement against BlackBerry’s iconic keyboard, and we will vigorously protect our intellectual property against any company that attempts to copy our unique design. From the beginning, BlackBerry has always focused on offering an exceptional typing experience that combines a great design with ergonomic excellence. We are flattered by the desire to graft our keyboard onto other smartphones, but we will not tolerate such activity without fair compensation for using our intellectual property and our technological innovations,” said Steve Zipperstein, BlackBerry’s General Counsel and Chief Legal Officer.
This is not the first time that Blackberry has gone after a company legally, back in 2010 Research In Motion (previous name for Blackberry) had sue Waterloo-based Kik over three patent infringements, the case was later resolved in late 2013.