Research in Motion, makers of the legendary BlackBerry are suing Samsung over their new BlackJack smartphone insisting that the South Koreans "deliver to RIM for destruction" every item that bears the BlackJack mark that the company holds or has sold.
The BlackJack (pretty much the i600) was launched earlier this month by Cingular in the States, which also happens to be the biggest market for BlackBerry devices and email service. Like a growing number of advanced smart phones, the BlackJack features a full "QWERTY" keyboard for thumb typing messages, first made popular by the BlackBerry.
RIM Claims that Samsung has deliberately named the new handset BlackJack in order to confuse customers as well as "tarnishing, blurring, diluting, and/or disparaging RIM's reputation and goodwill".
"With intentional disregard for RIM's trademark rights, Samsung has used the BlackJack mark in a manner which is confusingly similar to RIM's BlackBerry marks," RIM states, adding that "as a result of such acts, Samsung is misleading the public into falsely believing that Samsung's goods and services are connected with RIM's business."
RIM is requesting that Samsung cease selling the BlackJack phones and is to "deliver to RIM for destruction" every item that bears the BlackJack mark that the company holds or has sold. RIM is also seeking unspecified damages, according to the lawsuit filed in California on Friday.
A Samsung spokesman said the company does not comment on pending legal matters. Cingular also declined comment on the lawsuit, saying only that it continues to sell both devices.
RIM Claims that Samsung has deliberately named the new handset BlackJack in order to confuse customers as well as "tarnishing, blurring, diluting, and/or disparaging RIM's reputation and goodwill".
"With intentional disregard for RIM's trademark rights, Samsung has used the BlackJack mark in a manner which is confusingly similar to RIM's BlackBerry marks," RIM states, adding that "as a result of such acts, Samsung is misleading the public into falsely believing that Samsung's goods and services are connected with RIM's business."
RIM is requesting that Samsung cease selling the BlackJack phones and is to "deliver to RIM for destruction" every item that bears the BlackJack mark that the company holds or has sold. RIM is also seeking unspecified damages, according to the lawsuit filed in California on Friday.
A Samsung spokesman said the company does not comment on pending legal matters. Cingular also declined comment on the lawsuit, saying only that it continues to sell both devices.