In classic horror-movie fashion, BlackBerry is seeking
vengeance from the proverbial afterlife. Its target is Facebook, which the Canadian tech giant is suing for patent infringement.
Facebook “created mobile messaging applications
that co-opt BlackBerry’s innovations,” the mobile has-been claims in a new legal filing. “By this action, BlackBerry seeks to put an end to [Facebook’s] unauthorized use
of BlackBerry’s patented technologies and to obtain compensation for the harm BlackBerry has suffered.”
The far-reaching suit takes aim at Facebook Messenger, Facebook
Messenger Lite, Facebook Pages Manager, Facebook.com, Facebook Workplace Chat, WhatsApp’s Messenger, and Instagram.
In response to the attack, Facebook’s lawyers are going on the
offensive. “We intend to fight,” Paul Grewal, Facebook’s deputy general counsel, stated.
“BlackBerry’s suit sadly reflects the current state of its messaging
business,” Grewal taunted. “Having abandoned its efforts to innovate, BlackBerry is now looking to tax the innovation of others.”
Among other innovations, BlackBerry is
arguing that Facebook stole cryptographic techniques used to secure messages; various interface features; the use of timestamps; and more battery-efficient status updates.
Facebook is not
BlackBerry’s first legal target, and likely won’t be its last.
Last year, the company sued mobile rival Nokia for infringing on patents related to wireless communication
technology. The case is currently pending.