BlackBerry sues Snapchat over infringement of 6 patents

BlackBerry accuses Snap of infringing features like Snap Maps and display count of unread messages on a notification dot.

BlackBerry alleges that Snap used the company’s messaging property to compete with it. (Shutterstock)

Software major BlackBerry has sued Snap for allegedly infringing its patented messaging technology in the Snapchat app, media reported.

According to a report by the Verge, the 71-page complaint accused Snap of infringing six patents, including map improvements for mobile devices, advertising techniques and user interface improvements for mobile devices.

"It also cites Snap Maps and the display count of unread messages on a notification dot as infringing activities," the report said late on Wednesday.

The development comes a month after BlackBerry filed a lawsuit in a Los Angeles court against Facebook and its subsidiaries -- photo sharing app Instagram and messaging service WhatsApp -- alleging that the social media giant infringed on some of its patents including security features, mobile notifications and combining gaming with messaging.

The complaint against Snap includes two patents that also appear in the Facebook suit. While one patent referred to the display count notification dot, the other patent disclosed time data in messaging conversations.

BlackBerry said that Snap used the company's intellectual property to compete with it in the messaging space, diverting users from BlackBerry toward Snapchat. The report also cited the complaint as saying that BlackBerry attempted to resolve the matter without going to court.

BlackBerry sold the rights to design, manufacture and sell BlackBerry-branded devices to Chinese company TCL in 2016 and now produces the company's software and mobile security products.