BlackBerry Suing Start-Up Co-founded by Ryan Seacrest, Alleges Company That Makes iPhone Keyboards Infringed on Its Patents

Has been smartphone maker turning into patent troll

Troubled smartphone maker BlackBerry Ltd. is accusing a company backed by "American Idol" host Ryan Seacrest of being a rip-off artist.

The allegations emerged in a patent infringement lawsuit filed Friday in a San Francisco federal court by BlackBerry. The suit targets an iPhone keyboard made by Typo Products LLC, a Los Angeles startup co-founded by Seacrest and entrepreneur Laurence Hallier.