BlackBerry chief John Chen this week announced a crackdown on those who leak confidential details about upcoming products.
In a blog post, Chen said the Canadian phone maker is "pursuing legal action against a party who stole confidential information about a future BlackBerry product and made that information public." The person nabbed the information after pretending to work for one of BlackBerry's carrier partners, Chen wrote.
The CEO did not specify which leak prompted legal action, but in recent weeks, there have been reports about a phablet-like BlackBerry device, dubbed Windermere, as well as another known as Ontario. More recently, there have been shots of BlackBerry 10.3.
"I recognize that, in some cases, the leaks reflect people's genuine interest in BlackBerry. There are a lot of people whose enthusiasm for our company and our products makes them want to know what we will do next — and that can be a tremendous asset for us as a brand," Chen wrote. "But, when curiosity turns to criminality, we must take strong action."
Chen pledged to prosecute internal and external leakers. "This may mean you see a few less blog posts with photos and rumors of the next BlackBerry smartphones," he acknowledged. "I know those can be fun for our fans, but rest assured that we're committed to communicating our biggest updates to you early and often – when they are ready to be shared."
The announcement comes shortly after HTC announced its new One (M8) smartphone, which was the worst kept secret in tech thanks to a number of high-profile leaks.