We all know what happened three weeks ago, when embattled Canadian smartphone maker BlackBerry filed papers to sue Ryan Seacrest’s startup, Typo Products. It created the Typo Keyboard, which clips onto iPhones for former BlackBerry addicts who still want a physical keyboard. At the time it seemed like BlackBerry was seemingly picking fights with anyone in its final days.
The latest report suggests that BlackBerry is actually trying to block the sale of Typo cases in the United States, claiming they infringe on two of their patents.
The company asked the federal District Court of Northern California on Wednesday to prohibit “making, using, offering to sell, or selling within the United States, or importing into the United States, the Typo Keyboard.”
Seacrest’s startup originally responded that the claims were “without merit”, and that the reason he founded the company in the first place was that he didn’t like carrying around a BlackBerry and an iPhone. Oh, poor poor Ryan Seacrest.
BlackBerry thinks Typo is selling a product based off BlackBerry patents, making money off of the likeness to its brand. And, as the Post explained, both Typo Products and BlackBerry are both going after enterprise clients, with the former targeting “executives who’d rather use an iPhone but still want a keyboard like those on BlackBerry devices.”
Give em’ credit for not going down with a fight.