BlackBerry Files Patent Infringement Lawsuit Against Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram (reuters.com) 87
BlackBerry on Tuesday filed patent infringement lawsuit against Facebook, Whatsapp and Instagram in Los Angeles Federal court. In a statement, BlackBerry said: We have a lot of respect for Facebook and the value they've placed on messaging capabilities, some of which were invented by BlackBerry. As a cybersecurity and embedded software leader, BlackBerry's view is that Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp could make great partners in our drive toward a securely connected future, and we continue to hold this door open to them. However, we have a strong claim that Facebook has infringed on our intellectual property, and after several years of dialogue, we also have an obligation to our shareholders to pursue appropriate legal remedies.
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Since Blackberry hasn't created anything new or compelling in15 years we feel obligated to try and make some cash off our old crap, that we ripped off from ICQ/AOL/IRC and other software implementations that existed long before we came into being...
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One can only assume you're correct .. at first I thought the summary was shit, but as it turns out, the article is shit too.
They're suing about some IP, but since it isn't named, we have no idea what it is .. this might as well be a fucking press release designed to get their name in the news again, but it otherwise contains no actual information.
If BB felt there were patents being infringed, they should have done something about it years ago, because failing to enforce it is pretty much not going to do well in court.
Whatever, BB hasn't been relevant in years, and the people they're picking fights with have deep pockets.
Absent any facts, I'm left with no choice but to agree with your assessment. They've sunk so far into "who gives a fuck" that, well, who gives a fuck?
According to TFS, they did. It says they have been in talks with these companies for years. They didn't get anywhere, so this is the next step. Sometimes (err.. always) legal shit takes a long time and is expensive.
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The 'game isn't being a dick' The player is.
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I might buy that if they went after NTP. As it is, they're just multiplying the problem. If someone rips me off, that doesn't give me a free pass to rip you off, does it?
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If they are going to keep software patents, then there should be some limitation on them where there is a period of time to report that they are illegally using their patent. Most of the abuse seems to come from, a patent that has been mostly ignored until someone else goes with it, becomes immensely popular and nearly non-removable feature. Then Sue them for a heck of a lot of money, because the idea has the potential. While you lacked the rest of the effort needed for it.
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Actually you are correct, Blackberry as a mobile device or messenger is a dead or dying thing but QNX is another thing entirely and quite active and very competitive. It is just not a thing that the end-users see much of, being behind the scene so to speak.
https://blackberry.qnx.com/en [qnx.com]
I remember when a blackberry device was the thing every executive had to have and quite successful, but iPhones and various other smart phones have marketed their way past and supplanted BB devices almost totally.
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Then the government of India asked them for the gold keys to the kingdom and they instantly caved, forever destroying their own reputation.
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contrary to public belief that some people have, there was nothing more "inherently secure" about blackberrys system vs. just using ssl secured mail servers.
HOWEVER.. if you we're using blackberrys services in their heyday then the LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT in any shithole country that you had signed up for service in had access to the email server running the bb software.
the whole idea/why they got popular for a short time was basically just hacking push messaging to work through the gsm network, at about the
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Pepperidge Farms remembers...Yes they do...
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The thing about these companies is that they have had their wave and if they can survive the valley they may find their next wave or even a niche where they can exist at a lower level. Their shares are trading pretty solidly still so I am guessing they are doing well somewhere (not maybe at the consumer level.)
With the patents they don't need to do anything for 15 years
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"hey pay me 1 billion for patent license." and they said "our offer is 1Mil" you might need someone who could push them closer to your figure.
$1 Mil for a patent license is some crazy low figure. $100 Mil at least, or bust. It costs more than $1 Million just for the patent research and registration costs to get the patent in force in the first place.
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However the numbers were not actual just to represent a difference of value from two different parties.
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I think most patents cost about 25k to 50k. I have just worked on ....
I'm sure there's some costs being missed here --- being able to take some one-off thing you know is Invention and then get a patent on it may be feasible for 50K,
But most quality patentable things aren't going to come up by accident -- they require a lot of time and labor by experts such as engineers who are highly compensated then with 50K you'd be ignoring all that labor that was required to come up with an invention and Then to
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Circling the drain (Score:1)
Blackberry, 2018's SCO! If you can't innovate, litigate!
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I might be wrong but when I searched for RTOSs QNX was the only POSIX offer. Linux RTOS offers were just an RTOS with linux bubbled as an independent task.
Well, what's wrong with the Linux RTOS's? I develop on one of those and it makes development a fucking breeze compared to developing on "real" RTOS's. Especially when debugging.
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Speaking of SCO . . .
TODAY is the 15th anniversary of the SCO vs IBM lawsuit.
So this farce is now entering it's sixteenth year.
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Yes!!! I hope Blackberry wins big!
If these three could be shut down, it would improve the intartubes greatly and all over the globe.
How did Twitter get left out of this lawsuit?
Please, oh please, file an amended complaint!
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Hey. Wait a sec. I never thought of that. I think you are right! Yes!!! I hope Blackberry wins big! If these three could be shut down, it would improve the intartubes greatly and all over the globe. How did Twitter get left out of this lawsuit? Please, oh please, file an amended complaint!
Shitter doesn't actually do much of anything so they aren't much of a target for lawsuits.
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Duh? Maybe If They (Score:2)
Just my 2 cents
Re:Duh? Maybe If They (Score:5, Informative)
NTP's patents were eventually overturned [patentspostgrant.com]. But that didn't help Blackberry because they'd already entered a contract to settle the patent dispute. i.e. Their payment was to stop the lawsuit, not based on the merits of the patent. There was no way for them to get the money back.
In other words, Blackberry has been reduced to a patent lawsuit-flinging troll because they themselves were the victim of such a troll. Pity them, don't ridicule them. It could just as easily have been you if you'd been in the wrong place at the wrong time.
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Seriously? (Score:1)
In who's drive?
I wouldn't particularly care if Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp were all litigated out of existance, but that is a bit rich.
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In who's drive?
I wouldn't particularly care if Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp were all litigated out of existance, but that is a bit rich.
It's a good point. Add the twit er and you have a bunch of companies that wrote something and have largely become stagnant behemoths. It's about time for some or all of them to fall in order to make way for something better.
Those who can, do... (Score:5, Interesting)
... and those who can't, sue.
Blackberry (and before they called themselves that, Research in Motion) had a chance to absolutely own both smartphones and internet messaging, but they decided to play the proprietary licensing game and bleed everyone for every dime they could. Now they are a joke of a company that likely has more lawyers on staff than engineers.
The shareholders should just vote to liquidate and let them sit in the history books where they belong.
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But if they were liquidated, then patent trolls would buy all of their IP and then they'd be in court going after the money. So... I guess it's bound to happen?
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I, for one, hope BlackBerry succeeds. Let the lesser evils of the world squabble and spend all of their resources in a pointless fight.
That the greater evil may prevail. [cthulhuforamerica.com]
Does Anyone Else Hear That? (Score:2)
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I prefer something slightly more melodious. Like the long, drawn-out death rattle of a man suffering from terminal flatulence.
-- David Lister, Red Dwarf
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What's the patent? (Score:2)
We have a lot of respect for Facebook and the value they've placed on messaging capabilities, some of which were invented by BlackBerry.
Which capabilities? Using a mobile's phone number as user ID? I agree it was innovative, but I don't think you can patent it.
Re:What's the patent? (Score:4, Insightful)
Which capabilities? Using a mobile's phone number as user ID? I agree it was innovative, but I don't think you can patent it.
I strongly disagree it was innovative. It was the worst idea of the messaging world, a huge step backward.
I don't want to contact a phone number. I want to contact a person. I don't care if that person doesn't have a phone. I don't care that person switched to another SIM card. I don't care that person moved to another country. The ID shouldn't change as long as that person is the same. And that ID shouldn't belong to a telco.
Also, why would I want to use my phone to write messages when I have a real keyboard on my PC? I'll use my phone only when I am far from my PC.
Whatsapp is so dumb that you can't even have two phones sharing the same whatsapp account. Connecting on whatsapp on a new phone will disconnect the old one.
BlackBerry finally gives up (Score:2)
Hard to judge... (Score:2)
...without knowing for what the patent was.
But it's awfully predictable how a company that has sold it's brand for 3rd party generic smartphone manufacturing and is being relegated to a part of smartphone history would now resort to becoming a patent troll business, what with it's history:
- of litigations: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]
- of giving away the keys to the kingdom: https://www.theverge.com/2016/... [theverge.com]
- writting a tone deaf blog post about it: http://blogs.blackberry.com/20... [blackberry.com]
- and then daring to
It's the right ... (Score:2)
... thing to do.
Capitalism trumps democracy and republics.
It's still government by the We The People, but We The People are not affiliated with political parties or the voting system.
No, we're affiliated with Capitalism through our shareholder relationship.
We vote by proxy.
Republicans, Democrats, Independents, alike, are loyal to the Capitalist party, first.
You and I are the source of any objections we have to that structure.
Darl McBride of Frankenstein? (Score:2)
Sounds like Blackberry is the new SCO.
Here Are the Patents in question (Score:2)
Blackberry have had BBM as a messenger longer than anyone in the mobile phone business. I know it's easy to make uneducated snap judgements, but in this case it may be wise to wait and see what the findings are before we jump to conclusions on this lawsuit. Since people are piling in Blackberry already without even knowing what patents are in question:
http://variety.com/2018/digita... [variety.com]
Patents:
U.S. Patent Nos. 7,372,961; 8,279,173; 8,209,634; 8,301,713; 8,429,236; 8,677,250; and 9,349,120
Titles I can find:
S
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Well https://patents.google.com/pat... [google.com] (May 2007) is either
- prior art as facebook enabled tagging users in photos in Dec 2005. [https://patents.google.com/patent/US7945653B2/en]
or
- Not applicable (The patent is about Facebook for BlackBerry® smartphones).
That's a set of cajones for ya.
Blackberry Officially Announces Death (Score:2)
Blackberry Officially Announces Death with Troll Lawsuit.
I am highly doubtful their claim will have anything substantial that wasn't already existent in ICQ back in 1996.
Patents need to die... (Score:2)
The U.S. patent system really needs to be replaced. These exemplify the need for a massive overhaul.
***
Patent 8,209,634 covers the concept of using icons with numeric badges to signal the arrival of new messages.
[Haven't email clients been essentially doing this since the 90's?]
Patent 8,279,173 covers the concept of tagging people in photos using an auto-completing search box.
[Okay, so now we are claiming ownership of auto-complete. Gee, once again I will point to email clients. They've auto-completed ente