BlackBerry files lawsuit against firm co-founded by Ryan Seacrest
by Canadian Manufacturing Daily Staff
Alleges Seacrest's Typo iPhone keyboard case infringes on BlackBerry's patents, intellectual property
WATERLOO, Ont.—Canadian device maker BlackBerry Ltd. announced it has filed a lawsuit against a company co-founded by television host Ryan Seacrest over alleged patent infringement.
The Waterloo, Ont.-based technology firm said it filed the lawsuit in a California court against Seacrest’s Typo Products LLC over the Typo Keyboard, an iPhone accessory BlackBerry said “blatantly copied” its famous keyboard design.
“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,” BlackBerry chief legal officer Steve Zipperstein said in a release announcing the legal action.
None of the allegations have been tested in a court of law.
Co-founded by Seacrest, host of TV’s ‘American Idol’, and entrepreneur Laurence Hallier, Typo is set to launch its keyboard case designed to attach to Apple iPhone devices, allowing users to type using a qwerty keyboard.
BlackBerry alleges the Typo case violates its intellectual property rights.
“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,” Zipperstein said.
The Typo keyboard is available for pre-order now for $99 and is set to ship this month.
