RIM claims startup Kik Messenger infringes patent

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Booted off RIM's App World.

TORONTO (Reuters) - Research In Motion has filed a patent infringement suit against Kik Messenger, a Toronto startup whose cross-platform instant messaging service rivals RIM's BlackBerry Messenger product.

RIM claims startup Kik Messenger infringes patent

The move follows Kik's removal from RIM's App World on Nov. 12, which RIM later said was due to a breach of contractual obligations.

Kik, much like RIM's Messenger, allows smartphone users to see when a message has been sent, delivered, read and when it is being replied to.

It has proved popular since re-launching in October, claiming 2.5 million users, including 1 million BlackBerry users. The application is still available for free download on Apple and Google Android system.

The claim was filed in Federal Court in Toronto, Canada, a court document showed.

Kik's chief executive, Ted Livingston, previously worked for RIM as a systems engineer and a technical product co-ordinator, according to his LinkedIn profile.

(Reporting by Alastair Sharp; editing by Rob Wilson)

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