Blackberry files lawsuit against Facebook, WhatsApp over messaging patent

Blackberry has filed a lawsuit against Facebook, alleging that the social network and its subsidiaries WhatsApp and Instagram infringe on BlackBerry’s messaging app patents.

Blackberry Limited, the Canadian enterprise, known as a company for software services and mobile security products, after selling the rights to design, manufacture, and sell BlackBerry-branded phones to Chinese multinational TCL, is now looking to tax the innovation of others. Blackberry’s complaint consists of 117 pages, with a major claim that it holds the patent to specific pieces of common messaging tech features, which Facebook allegedly stole from Blackberry, as reported by Reuters.

The lawsuit filed by Blackberry is claiming ownership over features that are quite common in mobile messaging these days. For instance, the little dot notifying you of a new message or displaying a count of unread messages and also those tiny icons that show that a message has been received and then read.

According to a Blackberry’s official spokesperson,

“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.”

Facebook responded to the statement showing its intention to fight the lawsuit. As Facebook’s Deputy General Counsel Paul Grewal states,

“Blackberry’s suit sadly reflects the current state of its messaging business. Having abandoned its efforts to innovate, Blackberry is now looking to tax the innovation of others. We intend to fight.”

Among other patents that Blackberry has included in the lawsuit filing, some also claim that Facebook has copied methods to notify users of new messages and tag people in photographs. Blackberry also claims that Facebook has been aware of its rights for years.