On January 3, Associated Press reported that Canadian smartphone developer and maker BlackBerry filed a lawsuit against Typo Products LLC producing iPhone cases.
The complaint against Typo alleges patent infringement and that Typo has blatantly copied BlackBerry’s trademark QWERTY keyboard for designing a new accessory for Apple’s iPhone 5. The claimant hopes to obtain the court order to bar the production of Typo Keyboard cases unless Typo Products gets a special permission from BlackBerry.
No comments about filing the lawsuit have come out from Typo Products so far.
Typo Products LLC was co-founded and financed by Ryan Seacrest, popular TV host of the music show American Idol. Over $1 million have been poured into the firm. Besides, the founders state that the investment amount might expand to $5 million and more.
Typo Keyboard is like a shell for a rear panel of latest iPhone models (iPhone 5C and iPhone 5S). It consists of two parts. It is designed to give users the experience of using a physical keyboard – which interacts wirelessly with the phone’s software – rather than Apple’s on-screen version. The company's signature product, the Typo Keyboard, is set to go on sale later in January at the price of $99. Currently, the Typo Keyboard is available for pre-order on the website.
Having been produced since 2007, iPhone has never had a physical keyboard. On the contrary, BlackBerry has been still manufacturing iconic smartphones with a QWERTY keyboard. Over the last few years, BlackBerry sales have plummeted. Thus, the Canadian smartphone company has given place on the market to Apple Inc. and Android device manufacturers.
