BlackBerry Suing Social Media Giants Over Messaging Patents

BlackBerry is suing social media guns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp over the basis that those companies infringed on its BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) patents.

BlackBerry is claiming its BBM was the gateway to modern messaging as we know it as the platform originated before social media. The company claims the defendants have infringed and continue to infringe via their social sites.

The lawsuits claims, “Defendants created mobile messaging applications that co-opt BlackBerry’s innovations, using a number of the innovative security, user interface, and functionality enhancing features that made BlackBerry’s products such a critical and commercial success in the first place.”

In a statement to Cheddar, Facebook says, ““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 launched thirteen years ago in 2005.

Read the lawsuit here.