BlackBerry Ltd. is suing Twitter for patent infringement, claiming in a lawsuit filed in Los Angeles federal court Wednesday that the social media giant illegally uses technology invented by the former smartphone maker in Twitter's messaging applications.
The 98-page suit alleges that Twitter uses some messaging capabilities that "co-opt BlackBerry's innovations," including user interface and functionality features.
A spokesman for Twitter, which has offices in Santa Monica, declined comment.
The lawsuit states that BlackBerry was a pioneer in mobile instant messaging, obtaining numerous patents since its 2005 launch. The Ontario, Canada-headquartered company alleges that Twitter violated six of its patents, including push notifications, message thread blocking and mobile advertising strategies.
The complaint seeks unspecified damages and attorney's fees.
BlackBerry has filed similar lawsuits against Facebook and Snapchat.
