Some might say that BlackBerry CEO John Chen has one of the most toughest jobs in this particular market. That’s because he has been handed the reins of a company that’s bleeding cash, struggling for its survival in the market and trying to come up with products that it kickstart is turnaround. Chen has made several changes since taking the top job at Waterloo, and his next target is to curtail product leaks. Chen says that people who leak “critical and confidential” information about BlackBerry’s plans may face criminal prosecution.
In a blog post on the official Inside BlackBerry blog, the CEO says that the company is now pursuing legal action against someone who stole confidential information about a future BlackBerry product. Terming leaks as “distracting,” Chen says that they seldom have any advantage, instead often become misleading for the company’s shareholders.
BlackBerry fans might not be too excited about this tough stance on product leaks, Chen acknowledges that often leaks do reflect people’s genuine interest in the company and its future plans, “but when curiosity turns to criminality, we must take strong action,” he says. The company will continue to take appropriate actions to prevent leaks, but it will also prosecute individuals, internally or externally, who leak confidential information.
This may result in fewer posts about rumored BlackBerry phones, the company’s fans might not be too pleased with that. Though the CEO says that BlackBerry will continue communicating biggest updates early to its fans “when they are ready to be shared.”
Filed in . Read more about BlackBerry and John Chen.