BlackBerry has once again filed a complaint against Typo Products, a company founded by celebrity TV host Ryan Seacrest, for alleged infringement on patents held by BlackBerry.
The complaint is aimed at the Typo 2, a keyboard case that Typo Products developed for the iPhone 5/5S and iPhone 6 smartphones.
In March of last year, Waterloo, Ontario-based BlackBerry filed a similar complaint against the Typo 1, which is the first version of the keyboard case by Typo Products that is also for iPhone. BlackBerry won an injunction against the Typo 1 case, and the company is now seeking a similar injunction to stop the sales of the Typo 2 case.
The Typo 2 case was released by Typo Products in September of last year. The new keyboard case features larger keys and altered key positions compared to the first version of the product.
Despite the changes, BlackBerry still filed the complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California on Feb. 16, claiming that the redesign seen in the Typo 2 case still infringes on patents held by the company.
Earlier in February, Typo was ordered by the court to pay sanctions worth $860,600 to BlackBerry, including attorneys' fees and costs. The sanctions relate to the company's decision to continue selling the Typo 1 case, despite an injunction used by the court to prohibit the sale of the smartphone accessory.
BlackBerry is seeking a similar injunction against the Typo 2, as the smartphone pioneer seeks damages in addition to stopping the sale of the keyboard case.
When the court ordered Typo Products to pay the sanction for continuing to sell its Typo 1 case, a spokeswoman for the company said that the injunction will have no effect on its Typo 2 case or for any other product that the company is planning to launch.
Typo was not immediately available to make a comment regarding the new complaint. BlackBerry, on the other hand, declined to issue a comment on the matter.
"Just as they did with the Typo Keyboard, defendants have again copied numerous proprietary BlackBerry designs and patents in the Typo2 Keyboard," wrote BlackBerry in the new complaint against Typo Products.
"The Typo2 Keyboard still blatantly copies BlackBerry's iconic keyboard trade dress designs that have been embodied in numerous BlackBerry smartphones from the 2007 BlackBerry 8800 to the current Q10 and Classic models," the complaint added.
Ryan Seacrest has reportedly made an investment worth $1 million in Typo Products, which the host had promoted on CNN.
