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BlackBerry, the struggling mobile device maker, filed a patent-infringement lawsuit against Typo Products, the startup co-founded by Ryan Seacrest that has developed a smartphone keyboard attachment.
Typo Products reps did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
'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,' Steve Zipperstein, BlackBerry's general counsel and chief legal officer, said in a statement.
SEE ALSO: Ryan Seacrest Co-Founded a Startup Making an iPhone Keyboard
BlackBerry filed its complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. The lawsuit against Typo alleges patent infringement and that Typo has 'blatantly copied BlackBerry's keyboard' with the iPhone keyboard case designed to snap on to iPhones.
Zipperstein said in the statement, '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.'
BlackBerry, a pioneer that launched its first smart mobile device in 1999, has lost share to Apple's iPhone and devices based on Google's Android operating system. Last month the Waterloo, Ontario, Canada-based company posted a $4.4 billion net loss. That in part included charges related to its previously announced restructuring under which BlackBerry is cutting 4,500 jobs, or 40% of its workforce.
Separately, on Thursday, BlackBerry said singer Alicia Keys - whom it had hired as 'global creative director' in January 2013 - would no longer be working with the company as of the end of this month.
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