Canon is facing a new patent infringement lawsuit, as two companies claim that the camera maker used technology originally developed by BlackBerry to design its wireless capabilities on its cameras and printers.
On November 12, Key Patent Innovations Ltd and Malikie Innovations Ltd filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Canon Inc and Canon USA Inc in the US District Court for the Western District of Texas.
Malikie Innovations is a patent licensing company that purchased thousands of patents from BlackBerry in 2023, while Key Patent Innovations is an Ireland-based company that also focuses on licensing patents.
In the lawsuit, the patent licensing companies allege that Canon used technology from six different patents in its cameras and printers. Those patents, the lawsuit says, are related to “camera functionality” and “wireless communications.”
At this stage in the case, the complaint has been filed but arguments from both sides have yet to be presented in court – leaving limited details on the allegations.
Canon’s in-camera WiFi enables its cameras to transfer images to smartphones, as well as printers, for easier sharing. The ability to wirelessly transfer images is common across multiple camera brands.
Key Patent Innovations Ltd and Malikie Innovations Ltd filed similar patent infringement lawsuits against Nintendo and Acer last year.
With the complaint only recently filed, it’s unclear how the allegations will affect Canon as the case continues. In some patent infringement cases, companies have disabled features – such as the Apple Watch ban over the blood oxygen sensor, which was later reinstated after Apple redesigned the feature.
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