Blackberry Sues Ryan Seacrest’s Startup Typo

BY: 

Dave Forde
January 7, 2014

TypoBlackBerry 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.

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Dave Forde


Dave “The Connector” Forde has been involved in the marketing, public relations and technology industry across Canada for over 20 years in various sales and marketing roles, he launched The Connected One network of business sites which connects buyers to the right sellers. Profectio and PR In Canada covers news about the marketing and public relations industry each day helping professionals advance their career and businesses. He also serves as an advisor to a number of businesses across the country. Find Dave on LinkedIn and Twitter.


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