In December, a start-up company called Typo – backed by American Idol host Ryan Seacrest – announced that it would release an innovative new twist on the standard iPhone protective case. Typo’s variation on the case includes a physical keyboard that hooks up to the phone and gives users a thoroughly unique iPhone experience. Since iPhone models have always featured a virtual touchscreen keyboard and have never given buyers the option of having a physical keyboard, the Typo case stands to be a game-changing innovation when it finally hits the market. According to the Typo official site, the keyboard case is set to ship this month, with a list price of $99.

There has long been a potential market for physical iPhone keyboard devices. The Typo case, powered by a small lithium battery of its own, performs in much the same way that an onboard keyboard would, with a full range of buttons to choose from and even a backlight for use in the dark. Furthermore, digital touchscreen keyboards are notoriously difficult to type on, hence the popularity of sites like DamnYouAutoCorrect. Typo researchers contend that their new case will be able to increase users’ typing speed and accuracy by up to 50 percent.

In short, the Typo keyboard case could well stand to become the new standard for the iPhone 5 and 5S, especially for people who want the most advanced smartphones on the market, but still long for the days of physical keyboards. Considering how much potential the Typo case currently has, it was only a matter of time before other companies tried to get in on the action.

According to a recent report from AppleInsider, Blackberry – the creator of the original physical smartphone keyboard – recently filed a lawsuit against Typo. The suit contends that Typo infringed the design of Blackberry’s keyboard, and seeks “fair compensation” for the use of Blackberry’s “intellectual property” and “technological innovations.” Blackberry does not sound like it wants to completely shut down Typo, or keep Typo from taking its iPhone case to the market. Rather, the company – which has been struggling in recent years to maintain market share against sleeker smartphone options – wants a cut of the earnings that are sure to come Typo’s way.

Indeed, the Typo keyboard bears an extremely strong resemblance to older Blackberry models. Then again, it also resembles virtually every other physical keyboard that has ever made its way onto a smartphone. After all, there is only so much innovation that a company can pour into a standard-issue QWERTY keyboard. However, Blackberry’s lawsuit is hardly surprising: at this point, the easy-to-use physical keyboard is the biggest selling point for Blackberry phones. If Blackberry loses that advantage to iPhone, it could be the final nail in the company’s coffin.