BlackBerry said it has initiated legal proceedings against Facebook and its subsidiary apps Instagram and WhatsApp on charges of copying technology and features used on its own BlackBerry Messenger service.
BlackBerry Messenger or just BBM used to be one of the most favored service offerings from the Canadian firm and was known for its adherence to high standards of privacy and security. No wonder it had been the top choice for messaging needs among the business community.
Further, BBM was in vogue during times when the likes of Instagram or WhatsApp were yet to see the light of day and Facebook was still being a baby-sitter. The company is also claiming to have developed the core technologies and functionalities that Facebook has later adopted for use on its own messaging platforms.
Those include the likes of mentioning the number of unread messages on the app icon along with the idea of offering gaming options from right within the messaging app itself. The facility to tag friends or family in photos within the messaging platform is also being objected by BlackBerry, as is some user interface elements even though the latter has become almost the same in every other messaging application.
Facebook is, however, rubbishing the charges and have said they would be contesting all the charges levied against it. It also accused the Canadian firm of living on money earned from such lawsuits now that it has lost its ability to offer innovative products and compete with others in the field.
BlackBerry further justified it’s going to court against Facebook claiming it is its moral duty to safeguard the interests of its shareholders in preventing illegal copying of technologies it pioneered. The company is seeking damages either in monetary terms or by preventing the use of the contentious technologies by rival firms.
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BlackBerry had earlier sued Nokia for allegedly infringing on technologies pertaining to 3G and 4G networks. The company has also almost lost its relevance in the immensely competitive smartphone segment, having lost out to its more illustrious competitors from iOS and Android. It has since taken to developing Android smartphones though unfortunately, the move is yet to pay off.
