The patent wars are getting so ridiculous these days but this takes the cake. RIM, along with a few other manufacturers, is being sued by a company named Varia Holdings LLC who was apparently awarded a patent for emoticon input method back in 2007 . The company claims RIM is infringing on:
an input key that, when pressed by the user while in text mode, results in the display of a list of emoticons for selection by the user. By displaying a list of emoticons, a more user friendly environment is created through which users may employ emoticons in their communications.