In January of last year, BlackBerry sued Typo for what it called ‘blatant infringement’ of its patents. One year later, that battle rages on (Typo isn’t actually allowed to sell the case in the USA thanks to an injunction from BlackBerry), but the company has a second keyboard case, the Typo 2, which was announced last summer.
Not surprisingly, BlackBerry has taken issue with the Typo 2, as well. The Hollywood Reporter states that the Waterloo-based company has filed suit against Typo for what it calls a ‘slavish copy’ of the BlackBerry keyboard. BlackBerry says the Typo 2 case “still blatantly copies” its iconic keyboard designs. The company also claims that the Typo 2 infringes upon several BlackBerry-owned patents relating to backlighting and typing automation.
Typo actually altered the design of its second case, removing the frets between the keys and altering the shape of the keys themselves, presumably to avoid this exact scenario. However, it seems the changes that were made weren’t enough to satisfy BlackBerry, as the company is seeking an injunction against the Typo 2, as well as monetary damages.
Just last month, Typo was ordered to pay BlackBerry more than $850,000 for selling Typo cases inside the USA. The company allegedly transferred thousands of Typo cases to a third party in an attempt to sell stock after BlackBerry’s injunction came into effect.
[source]The Hollywood Reporter[/source]
