BlackBerry and IGT announce agreement on patent licensing deal

BlackBerry and International Game Technology PLC today announced that they have entered into a royalty-bearing patent license agreement related to certain power charging technology used in IGT products. The agreement was reached back in November 2015 and specific terms are confidential.

"Our license agreement with IGT affirms the importance of BlackBerry's innovative and foundational power- charging patents," said Dr. Mark Kokes, BlackBerry Vice President of Intellectual Property and Licensing. With this agreement in place, IGT can incorporate convenient power charging solutions in its new gaming products, to the benefit of its customers and partners everywhere."

"At IGT, enhanced ergonomics and player-focused amenities are integral to our cabinet design strategy. The addition of convenient charging capability to the IGT CrystalCore®, CrystalDual™, and S3000® cabinets provides our customers with another feature that enables players to spend time enjoying their favorite games while conveniently charging a phone or mobile device. This is a great example of innovation driven by customer feedback, and we're pleased to deliver convenient power charging with a variety of games from our Core and Premium product lines," said Victor Duarte, IGT Global Chief Product Officer.

Back in September of 2015, John Chen noted that BlackBerry's patent portfolio was an important part of the company turnaround, so this certainly falls in line with the monetization efforts he was seeking for those approximately 44,000 patents.

BlackBerry and IGT Announce Agreement on Patent Licensing Deal

Waterloo, Ontario and London, U.K. – February 12, 2016 – BlackBerry Limited (NASDAQ: BBRY; TSX: BB) and International Game Technology PLC ("IGT") (NYSE: IGT) today announced that they have entered into a royalty bearing patent license agreement related to certain power charging technology used in IGT products.

An agreement between the two companies was reached in November 2015. Specific terms of the deal are confidential.

"Our license agreement with IGT affirms the importance of BlackBerry's innovative and foundational power- charging patents," said Dr. Mark Kokes, BlackBerry Vice President of Intellectual Property and Licensing. With this agreement in place, IGT can incorporate convenient power charging solutions in its new gaming products, to the benefit of its customers and partners everywhere."

"At IGT, enhanced ergonomics and player-focused amenities are integral to our cabinet design strategy. The addition of convenient charging capability to the IGT CrystalCore®, CrystalDual™, and S3000® cabinets provides our customers with another feature that enables players to spend time enjoying their favorite games while conveniently charging a phone or mobile device. This is a great example of innovation driven by customer feedback, and we're pleased to deliver convenient power charging with a variety of games from our Core and Premium product lines," said Victor Duarte, IGT Global Chief Product Officer.

About BlackBerry

BlackBerry is securing a connected world, delivering innovative solutions across the entire mobile ecosystem and beyond. We secure the world's most sensitive data across all end points – from cars to smartphones – making the mobile-first enterprise vision a reality. Founded in 1984 and based in Waterloo, Ontario, BlackBerry operates offices in North America, Europe, Middle East and Africa, Asia Pacific and Latin America. The Company trades under the ticker symbols "BB" on the Toronto Stock Exchange and "BBRY" on the NASDAQ. For more information, visit www.BlackBerry.com.

About IGT

IGT (NYSE:IGT) is the global leader in gaming. We enable players to experience their favorite games across all channels and regulated segments, from Gaming Machines and Lotteries to Interactive and Social Gaming. Leveraging a wealth of premium content, substantial investment in innovation, in-depth customer intelligence, operational expertise and leading-edge technology, our gaming solutions anticipate the demands of consumers wherever they decide to play. We have a well-established local presence and relationships with governments and regulators in more than 100 countries around the world, and create value by adhering to the highest standards of service, integrity, and responsibility. IGT has approximately 13,000 employees. For more information, please visit www.IGT.com.

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