This article was published on October 8, 2013

BlackBerry and Kik settle mobile messaging patent suit from 2010


BlackBerry and Kik settle mobile messaging patent suit from 2010

It’s been revealed that the legal spat between BlackBerry and mobile messaging startup Kik has finally been settled, nearly three years after BlackBerry — then known as RIM — accused its fellow Canadian company of patent infringement.

Kik said in a statement that it is “very happy to put the BlackBerry lawsuit to rest,” although details of the settlement — which was actually agreed on September 4 — are not public, since it includes a confidentiality agreement.

BlackBerry served the suit weeks after Kik’s messaging service exploded onto the scene, grabbing 2 million users in the space of 10 days. You can read all about the suit, and Kik’s rollercoaster history, in our recent interview with founder Ted Livingston.

Kik says it has 90 million registered users across iOS and Android, and is seeing 225,000 new joiners every day. By contrast, BlackBerry’s BBM messenger has 60 million monthly users, while it is still to introduce iOS and Android apps to all countries, after it aborted last month’s global rollout mid-way through.

Headline image via Thinkstock

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