[asterisk-users] Verizon-Vonage Lawsuit

[Tim Panton]

On 7 Apr 2007, at 07:02, Jay Milk wrote:

>
> If Verizon's patent claim is indeed so broad as to prevent Vonage's  
> PSTN interconnect, then Verizon would still have to show that the  
> patent is non-obvious and a truly new invention

Sadly not - if they have a patent granted, then the onus of proof is  
the other way around, Vonage
and the rest of us have to prove it is obvious or cite prior-art.

>
> That last point could be quite a big one against VZ -- Vonage is  
> gaining customers not because they stole Verizon's doubtful IP, but  
> because they offer a better deal.  In my area, Vonage is cheaper  
> than a Verizon dialtone alone -- and I'd still pay for each  
> outgoing call if I had Verizon.
> That said, this is going to be interesting to watch for all us  
> asterisk users.  If Vonage loses this one, VZ is going to go after  
> the next VOIP provider... and sooner or later, anti-trust  
> regulation will kick in.
>
> Fun world.

If I were Vonage I'd have a delegation in HongKong now, moving all my  
Telco interconnects
to somewhere where the US patent system is treated with the contempt  
it is starting to earn.


Tim Panton

www.mexuar.net
www.westhawk.co.uk/