WHY IS BLACKBERRY SUING FACEBOOK?
BlackBerry has sued Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram, claiming the firms copied technology and features from its BlackBerry Messenger service.
Blackberry Messenger, also known as BBM, was an internet-based instant messaging service launched by Blackberry in 2005.
BBM was widely popular in the late 2000s before it started to lose out to rivals like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger.
Blackberry says Facebook and its wholly owned services are 'relative latecomers to the mobile messaging world.'
Facebook has infringed upon Blackberry patents covering message encryption, battery and message notifications, and combining messaging with gaming, according to the new lawsuit.
Blackberry Messenger, also known as BBM, was an internet-based instant messaging service launched by Blackberry in 2005 (stock)
Blackberry also claims Facebook's integration of its services draws upon ideas patented by the Canadian firm.
For example, Facebook allows for cross-platform notifications and for Instagram users to share Stories directly to Facebook, features Blackberry says are based on its patented technology.
Litigation over patent infringement is part of BlackBerry Chief Executive John Chen's strategy for making money for the company, which has lost much of its share in the smartphone market it once dominated.
BlackBerry is trying to persuade several other companies to pay licensing royalties to use its trove of more than 40,000 global patents on technology.
These include operating systems, networking infrastructure, acoustics, messaging, automotive subsystems, cybersecurity and wireless communications.
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