The Typo Keyboard snaps around an iPhone 5 or 5S, giving a BlackBerry-like hardware keyboard to people who want more than the iPhone's screen keyboard.
BlackBerry, which has persisted in selling smartphones with hardware keyboards, has filed a patent infringement suit against Typo Keyboard, which makes an iPhone case with a built-in keyboard.
Typo’s $99 case, which is debuting at the CES conference next week, slips around an iPhone 5 or 5S and connects to it wirelessly via Bluetooth. It provides a keyboard that looks an awful lot like BlackBerry’s, including beveled keys.
BlackBerry, which has steadily lost relevance and revenue with the rise of Android phones and iPhones, decided it was time to sue. Steve Zipperstein, BlackBerry’s general counsel, had this statement in a Friday announcement:
This is a blatant infringement against BlackBerry’s iconic keyboard, and we will vigorously protect our intellectual property against any company that attempts to copy our unique design. From the beginning, BlackBerry has always focused on offering an exceptional typing experience that combines a great design with ergonomic excellence. We are flattered by the desire to graft our keyboard onto other smartphones, but we will not tolerate such activity without fair compensation for using our intellectual property and our technological innovations.
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CNET contacted Typo for comment and will update this story when we hear back.
Typo was founded by Chief Executive Laurence Hallier and TV personality Ryan Seacrest. The device itself was invented by Chief Technology Officer and designer Ryan Hyde.
Patent infringement suits are costly and can be distracting even for well-established companies. If successful, a plaintiff can halt sales of products through a court’s injunction and can extract patent licensing fees. A wave of patent suits has embroiled most players in the mobile market over recent years.
The Typo Keyboard will debut at CES 2014.
