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Apparently so: https://www.theverge.com/2015/6/1/8696991/blackberry-typo-ke...

Our patent system is so absurd. How can BlackBerry own the concept of using a keyboard with a touchscreen?



typo pretty blatantly ripped off the unique shape of the blackberry keys that makes them easier to hit than normal mini keyboards. i'm not a fan of the patent system, but that seems like an actual novel thing that blackberry legitimately invented.


Two patents were at play: D685,775, and 7,629,964. (http://ia600308.us.archive.org/35/items/gov.uscourts.cand.27...)

D685,775 expires in 2027. Whether it's relevant, only a lawyer can say. (https://patents.google.com/patent/USD685775S1/en)

7,629,964 expired in 2018. (https://patents.google.com/patent/US7629964B2/en)


Some articles about the lawsuit list a third patent. It is a (real) invention patent, not a design patent, for the shape of the keys:

8,162,552 which expires in 2031. <https://patents.google.com/patent/US8162552B2/en>




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