back to article TV Idol star's keyboard upstart idolizes our gear too much – BlackBerry

Blackberry has fired off a second lawsuit against Typo Innovations, claiming the celebrity-backed startup "slavishly copied" the design of its smartphones for the Typo2 – a physical keyboard strapped to iPhones. Typo's keyboard with Blackberry's Spot the difference In April, Blackberry won a court order against Typo, …

  1. Medixstiff

    How the hell...

    Did Blackberry get a patent for backlighting a keyboard?

    1. JamesTQuirk

      Re: How the hell...

      Maybe they think they invented keyboards, When Blackberry changed hands, the "new groaners" been bitching cause, No one writes App for it, people don't buy them, & now cause others use keyboards, can't wait for blackberry to disappear, in a puff of "who gives a fig" ....

      1. imanidiot Silver badge

        Re: How the hell...

        Because they were the first ones to patents the idea for a mobile phone...

        1. Captain Scarlet

          Re: How the hell...

          I seem to remember the "Blueberries" as we called them already had a backlit keyboard.

          Only over devices around the time with such keyboards I think were Nokia (Correct/Flame me if I am wrong)

      2. Snipp

        Re: How the hell...

        Maybe the clerk at the fruit stand? Or was that rhetorical?

    2. Eddy Ito

      Re: How the hell...

      Perhaps if you knew anything of patents you'd notice they didn't get a patent for back lighting a keyboard. They have a patent on how they implemented back lighting a keyboard. If you look back in history you'll find a James Pickard who patented a way to convert the linear motion of a piston into rotary motion. You might also find a James Watt who patented a device to work around Mr. Pickard's patent. Notice that while Pickard invented the now ubiquitous crank and flywheel, it's Watt who is remembered for advancing the steam engine.

  2. James 51

    I am still wondering how apple managed that with rounded corners.

  3. Edwin

    Bad idea

    If the patents have been granted, then I guess BB has a case. I can see the Typo2 seems a little less blatantly BB than the original, but it's still pretty similar IMO.

    Reading a few product reviews, I do wonder though if BB would be better off suing for defamation.

    1. Ian Michael Gumby

      Not exactly... Re: Bad idea

      The patent is for a mechanical object.

      Its not software and its not a business process.

      In short... its a better mouse trap that fills a gap from what came before it.

      You may not like Rim suing another company... but this case holds water.

  4. Neil Barnes Silver badge
    WTF?

    Question is - why is this a patent case?

    Copyright, trademark, look'n'feel, yes - but are Blackberry suggesting that a keyboard is a patentable device? They've obviously persuaded the US patent office, but I'm sure there's plenty of prior art.

    1. imanidiot Silver badge

      Re: Question is - why is this a patent case?

      It's a 'design "patent" '. The rest of the world would call it a registered design basically.

    2. Mark Allen

      Re: Question is - why is this a patent case?

      I would say the main problem is the exact copying of the shape of the keys. Yes there have been many phone keyboards, but this Typo effort is clearly copying the shape of the keys on a BB keyboard. Compared with other phone keyboards, the patented shape of the keys makes a noticeable difference when typing on it.

      It is especially a joke when they are show side by side. Almost as if Typo got a bunch of BB keyboards from EBay.

  5. Useless User

    Pathetic

    Nokia had keyboarded devices before RiM headquarters were fitted with heated bogs. BlackBerry is a fringe business and should just die gracefully.

    1. JamesTQuirk

      Re: Pathetic

      Ancient Phones, (Walkie Talkies & other Luggables), had keypads as well. My old Huawei looks almost identical to a BB, some slightly different graphics, But minor keyboard changes, G6600D .....

      Maybe they could become a Phone\OS for the PI, at least it would be a catchy name, it seems other desperate Phone\OS companies are eyeing PI users as expansion ...

      ;)

    2. Afflicted.John

      Re: Pathetic

      Why would you heat a bog?

      You probably would also be aware of the significant differences between Nokia's keyboard efforts and those of RIM...all of which has nothing to do with BrackBerry being a fringe business. If their products were so out of date...why is Typo even in business?

  6. CaptainBanjax

    Fuck sake

    Its not even a competing product. Blackberry must be skint.

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