BlackBerry has filed a patent lawsuit against an iPhone keyboard which is being funded by American Idol host Ryan Seacrest.
The Wall Street Journal reported Friday that BlackBerry Ltd. has decided to file a patent case in the U.S District Court of Northern California against typo iPhone Keyboard Case.
Typo Products LLC, the manufacturer of the snap-on keyboard-slash-case accessory for the iPhone, is the receiving party of the lawsuit. However, it is unclear which patents were reportedly infringed. When asked, Blackberry declined to comment.
Last year, Seacrest and his friend Laurence Hallier, CEO of Typo Keyboards, thought of designing their own BlackBerry keyboard for their iPhones while having dinner. They both agreed that Seacrest will finance the development while Hallier’s company will be in charge of manufacturing.
The controversial keyboard case comes into two parts that both fit the iPhone from top to bottom. It also acts as a case that permits users to take photos and have full access to all built-in buttons.
The BlackBerry-like keyboard is designed to be at the exterior bottom of the phone, which will leave the screen occupied by the virtual keyboard clear for use.
However, the struggling company isn’t happy with this product so they chose to protect one of its best-known assets-- its keyboard.
Steve Zipperstein, BlackBerry's general counsel, described Typo's iPhone keyboard case as a “blatant infringement against BlackBerry's iconic keyboard.” He told WSJ that the company “will vigorously protect our intellectual property against any company that attempts to copy our unique design.”
“BlackBerry's iconic physical keyboard designs have been recognized by the press and the public as a significant market differentiator for its mobile handheld devices," the company announced on Friday.
Hallier disregarded the claims and said the company’s plans will not be affected by the lawsuit and will still push through with the scheduled shipping of the accessory this month. “We checked out the patents,” he told WSJ. "We have been working on this keyboard for two years. We developed this from the ground up.”
The $99 Typo iPhone keyboard case is set to go on sale this month.
