BlackBerry Denies Rumours of Samsung Buyout

Canadian smartphone maker BlackBerry and South Korean electronics firm Samsung are denying rumors about talks of the latter buying out the former, according to a Financial Post article by Claire Brownell. The speculation resulted from a Reuters report that executives from the two companies met last week. In a statement, BlackBerry forcefully asserted that its “policy is not to comment on rumours [sic] or speculation,” and commented on the speculation that the rumors are “groundless” and incorrect.

Despite having a reputation for advanced security, BlackBerry has lagged behind smartphone rivals like Apple in integrating biometric security measures into its devices. Samsung, on the other hand, having kept pace with the flood of new smartphones with embedded biometric authentication systems, has been keen lately to find some way to distinguish itself. Having access to BlackBerry’s patent portfolio could spur further innovation, but of course it’s too early to speculate how or in which direction that innovation would spur the company’s product development.