Dec 29, 2011 10:20 GMT BlackBerry Messenger trademark troubles invoke RIM's ire

BlackBerry manufacturer, Research in Motion (RIM), has been taken to task over the name of its BlackBerry Messenger service, which allows owners of handsets like the BlackBerry Curve 9380 to send instant messages to one another.

While the full name of the service is not an issue, the acronym of 'BBM' which is typically used to represent it has been highlighted as potentially breaching a trademark owned by a company called BBM Canada.

BlackBerry Messenger has been around for the last six years and RIM released a statement, pointing out that it only began to use the abbreviated 'BBM' acronym to describe it in 2010.

It also fought back against the allegations by pointing out that trademark law in its native Canada allows for the use of BBM by two parties, provided that they are not in competition, which it believes to be true in this incidence.

RIM is going on the offensive in the courts, seeking to protect its right to continue to use the BBM acronym across the globe without hindrance and also seeking to win the costs of its legal aid from the plaintiff.

For many people BlackBerry Messenger has become quite a controversial service. During the London riots of August 2011, many accused RIM of allowing users to communicate in secret and organise unrest without being able to be monitored by authorities.

Some BlackBerry owners were eventually prosecuted for their use of BlackBerry Messenger during the riots. Meanwhile in other countries, similar concerns were raised in relation to its application in aiding terrorist activities and, in some cases, RIM has been forced to hand over personal user data to the authorities.

For the average user, BBM is a great way to chat with friends without having to eat into your allocation of text messages on your tariff. A whole host of other rival messaging services have arisen for handsets like the iPhone and those based on Android.

One of the biggest mobile instant messaging apps is Facebook Messenger, which has quickly become popular because of the sheer number of people who have profiles on this particular social networking site.

Facebook Messenger is available for BlackBerry smartphones as well as iPhones and Android devices. With over 800 million active users, many of whom log on via their portable devices, the potential for cross-platform chat offered by Facebook Messenger arguably outstrips that of BBM and its rivals.

It is not yet clear whether RIM will be able to continue using the BBM acronym to promote its instant messaging service. However, it seems initially to be in the right and whatever the courts decide will have little impact on what users call the service.

While things like FaceTime video chat on the iPhone and Skype VoIP voice calls have changed the way in which mobile users communicate with one another, instant messaging is still going to remain important, along with SMS texting. The unobtrusive nature of the service is unrivalled, as is the low cost.

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