BlackBerry sues Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram over messaging patent infringement
BlackBerry has filed a lawsuit in a Los Angeles Federal Court against social media network Facebook and its two biggest social media subsidiaries WhatsApp and Instagram over patent infringement of its messaging technology. BlackBerry claims that the three companies have copied technology and features from the erstwhile BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) in their instant messaging services. Here are the details.
BlackBerry pursued years of dialogue with Facebook, before filing lawsuit
"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," BlackBerry said.
Facebook copied BBM features like timestamps, photo tagging: BlackBerry
According to BlackBerry, Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram have created mobile messaging applications by using several innovative security, user interface, and functionality enhancing features "that made BlackBerry's products such a critical and commercial success in the first place." These features include notifications showing the number of unread messages, display of timestamps, and the ability to tag friends and family in photographs.
BlackBerry's lawsuit reflects the sad state of its business: Facebook
In response, Facebook's general counsel Paul Grewal said, "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."
BBM was once a super hit messaging platform
Notably, BlackBerry's BBM service was once a prized messaging platform as it provided instant messaging capabilities much before the advent of iMessage or WhatsApp. BBM allowed users to exchange texts and images without incurring messaging rates. The Canada-based company used to be among the world's largest smartphone makers nearly a decade ago but has now retreated into supplying software services to companies.
