[Asterisk-Dev] Patent lawyers?

[Steve Underwood]

Brian West wrote:

> Anyone know a really good patent lawyers... Here are a list of  
> patents we have been accused of violating: (And yes we run Asterisk 
> +spandsp)
>
> 5675507 - Message storage and delivery system (voicemail)
> 6208638 - Method and apparatus for transmission and retrieval of  
> facsimile and
>             audio messages over a circuit or packet switched network  
> (spandsp sending faxes via email)
> 6350066 - Systems and methods for storing, delivering, and managing  
> messages (think vmail.cgi)
> 6564321 - Systems and methods for storing, delivering, and managing  
> messages (again vmail.cgi)
> 6857074 - Systems and methods for storing, delivering, and managing  
> messages (same as the other two)
> 6597688 - Scalable architecture for transmission of messages over a  
> network (usage with spandsp)
>
> Non-Asterisk Related:
> 6073165 -Filtering computer network messages directed to a user's e- 
> mail box based on user defined filters, and forwarding a filtered  
> message to the user's receiver
>
> Some of these patents are just silly and could apply to ANY voicemail  
> or messaging system on the planet even email.  We face a "real" legal  
> battle with these patents in question.. putting this out here because  
> it could have an effect on anyone offering services be it voicemail  
> or fax using Asterisk.

As far as I can tell none of these relate to spandsp itself. They relate 
to certain uses of it. Is that correct?

Store and forward delivery of voice and fax by e-mail is something I was 
doing in about 1995. However, it was for an internal system, and I 
probably couldn't produce supporting material that would qualify as 
prior art.

6208638 was files in 1997 and 6597688 was filed in 1998. They were filed 
by J2, and describe similar things. I did those thing well before 1997, 
and didn't consider them novel at the time. However, I'm not sure I 
could come up with solid material to support that - these things were 
just too obvious to document.

Who has raised these patent issues? J2?

Regards,
Steve