Blackberry Drags Facebook To Court Over Messaging Patent

BlackBerry has slammed a lawsuit  Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram over patent infringements related to its BlackBerry Messenger platform. According to reports, BlackBerry said Facebook and its subsidiaries copied technology and features from BlackBerry Messenger.

The lawsuit claims that Facebook “created mobile messaging applications that coopt BlackBerry’s innovations, using a number of the innovative security, user interface, and functionality-enhancing features that made BlackBerry’s products such a critical and commercial success in the first place,”. The lawsuit argues that Facebook subsidiaries Instagram and Whatsapp infringe BlackBerry’s patents in addition to Facebook’s own messaging apps.

It’s not unusual for technology companies that lose their lead in the marketplace to file a lawsuit. The report stated the lawsuit is part of BlackBerry CEO John Chen’s strategy to generate revenue for the company.

BlackBerry said in a statement that protecting shareholder assets and intellectual property is the job of every CEO, but denied it was central to BlackBerry’s strategy.

“As a cybersecurity and embedded software leader, BlackBerry’s view is that Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp could make great partners in our drive toward a securely-connected future, and we continue to hold this door open to them.”

“However, we have a strong claim that Facebook has infringed on our intellectual property, and after several years of dialogue, we also have an obligation to our shareholders to pursue appropriate legal remedies.”

Responding to the suit, Facebook said: “Blackberry’s suit sadly reflects the current state of its messaging business,” said Paul Grewal, deputy general counsel for Facebook. “Having abandoned its efforts to innovate, Blackberry is now looking to tax the innovation of others. We intend to fight.”

This lawsuit by Blackberry may be unconnected to Whatsapp ending support for certain Blackberry phones.