Advertise
Resources
Member, Beacon International Group, Ltd.
(Reuters) — BlackBerry Ltd. on Friday said it had filed a lawsuit against a company co-founded by "American Idol" host Ryan Seacrest that offers a physical keyboard that can be attached to some of Apple Inc.'s touchscreen iPhone 5 models.
The company, Typo Products L.L.C., is currently taking preorders for the $99 keyboard, which features angled miniature keys similar to those used on many of BlackBerry's devices.
Canada's BlackBerry, a once dominant smartphone maker that has lost market share to the iPhone and other touchscreen devices, said Typo's keyboard infringes its own design.
The allegation has not been proven in court. Typo and Mr. Seacrest could not immediately be reached to comment on the legal proceedings.
"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," Steve Zipperstein, BlackBerry's chief legal officer, said in a statement.
BlackBerry posted billions in losses in recent quarters as its latest devices sold poorly, but it has maintained a loyal niche of customers who prefer to type on a physical keyboard.