BlackBerry Limited (not to be confused with TCL, the maker of BlackBerry-branded handsets since 2016) has filed a lawsuit against Facebook for infringing messaging patents on its technology, according to a Reuters report. The lawsuit includes Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram for their use of instant messaging.
BlackBerry is suing Facebook over the patents it holds on BlackBerry Messenger (BBM), a messaging system that was praised among many BlackBerry diehards. BBM allowed users to send and receive texts and images without incurring standard messaging rates, and was in many ways an early version of WhatsApp and iMessage.
The lawsuit comes after “years of dialogue” with the social network. “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,” said BlackBerry to the online outlet.
The company says its patents cover cryptographic techniques to protect user privacy, the mixing of mobile gaming and mobile messaging, and now-ubiquitous user interface elements of mobile messaging products. Some of those interface elements are as broad as notification design, the displaying of message timestamps, and the ability to tag friends and family in photos.
Check out BlackBerry’s complaint in full:
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