Facebook files patent infringement complaint against Blackberry in U.S. court

Guests are welcomed by people in Facebook shirts as they arrive at the Facebook Canadian Summit in Toronto on Wednesday, March 28, 2018. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Donovan)

SAN FRANCISCO -- Facebook Inc. has filed a patent infringement complaint against BlackBerry Ltd. in a San Francisco court.

The social media giant alleges that Waterloo-based BlackBerry and its BBM Enterprise instant messaging application is infringing on patents on voice instant messaging technology that Facebook holds.

Facebook is also taking aim at BlackBerry's use of global positioning systems and tracking and monitoring software.

Facebook claims BlackBerry has infringed on at least six patents, but does not specify how much money it is seeking for damages in the filing made in the U.S. District Court in California.

A spokesperson for Facebook said in an email to The Canadian Press that the company would not be discussing the matter and BlackBerry did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Blackberry previously said it was taking Facebook and its WhatsApp and Instagram subsidiaries to court in California, alleging they've infringed on several of Blackberry's patents.

Some of BlackBerry's claims are in relation to patents for photo tagging and enabling use of a device's contact list while a game is being played, in order to exchange messages and game data.