[Asterisk-Users] Sprint Nextel sueing over VoIP patents

Wed Oct 5 14:26:53 MST 2005

The specifics are normally a matter of public record in the jurisdiction
where the suit was filed. The suit states the patents involved and the
infringement claim. A reading will narrow the speculation significantly.

-----Original Message-----
From: asterisk-users-bounces at lists.digium.com
[mailto:asterisk-users-bounces at lists.digium.com] On Behalf Of Gleim, Jason
Sent: Wednesday, October 05, 2005 2:06 PM
To: Asterisk Users Mailing List - Non-Commercial Discussion
Subject: RE: [Asterisk-Users] Sprint Nextel sueing over VoIP patents

I'll start with the disclaimer that I am not an attorney... nor do I play
one on TV...

But, a search of the US Patent & Trademark Office reveals 13 patents
assigned to Sprint that deal with VoIP. (http://www.uspto.gov/)

6947411
6944150
6937869
6909690
6870857
6868081
6865398
6741695
6731735
6697097
6681116
6556826
6373930

Of particular interest are the '9690, '4150, '1695, '3930 patents.

'9690 is a patent on call admission control using silence suppression to
better utilize network bandwidth. Specifically, it seems to deal with a
method to apply adaptive silence suppression at the customer site...
presumably in the ATA.

'4150 is a patent on a 'gateway' layer to be implemented between a customer
and the communications network as a means of offering and controlling
services offered as well as optimizing the deliver of those services.

'1695 is a patent on a method to interface packet-based and circuit-switched
networks. It specifically mentions SIP and other protocols and how to
interface them to signaling and voice paths in a circuit-switched network.

Finally, '3930 is a patent on a method to 'redirect' call setup through a
third party for the purposes of service restriction or authorization.
Basically it's a method of implementing pre-paid service on a packet
network.

The only one that seems to me that would directly apply to the * community
may be the '4150 or '1695 patents. But I don't know enough about patent law
to know if it would be worth their time or if they would even have a case.

There *maybe* something there too with some of the prepaid modules, like
AstCC, if they could argue it was hosted on a separate system. Again, I
don't know enough of the specifics to make an educated guess.

OK... now that I did my part to add to the FUD, maybe somebody that knows
more can build on what I found.

Jason

-----Original Message-----
From: asterisk-users-bounces at lists.digium.com
[mailto:asterisk-users-bounces at lists.digium.com] On Behalf Of John Todd
Sent: Wednesday, October 05, 2005 3:05 PM
To: Asterisk Users Mailing List - Non-Commercial Discussion
Cc: asterisk-biz at lists.digium.com
Subject: Re: [Asterisk-Users] Sprint Nextel sueing over VoIP patents

At 2:43 PM -0700 10/4/05, trixter http://www.0xdecafbad.com wrote:
>
>Sprint Nextel is sueing vonage, voiceglo and theglobe.com for
infringing
>on VoIP patents.  Sprint Nextel claims to have about 100 patents on
VoIP
>technologies.  Does anyone know which ones this article is talking 
>about, and if so does asterisk have any of those features?
>
>The reason I am asking is that the article is vague, Vonage uses a 
>fairly standard codec set, I dont know about the others.  So if its not 
>codecs I wonder if its something so generic that the patent would be 
>tossed out upon challenge.
>
>Anyone thinking about doing a VoIP business may want to get more info 
>before proceeding since they may not have the millinos vonage has to 
>fight this.
>
>http://kansascity.bizjournals.com/kansascity/stories/2005/10/03/daily23
.html
>--
>Trixter http://www.0xdecafbad.com     Bret McDanel
>UK +44 870 340 4605   Germany +49 801 777 555 3402
>US +1 360 207 0479 or +1 516 687 5200
>FreeWorldDialup: 635378

This perhaps is quite relevant to the Asterisk community.

While I don't know the specifics about Vonage, I do know that they have been
rumored to have (in the past, or present) used Asterisk in their core for
some services.  (Voicemail?  Conference?  Messages?) This, however, is not
confirmed.

http://www.ilocus.com/ui_dataFiles/news18aug05.htm
http://www.google.com/search?num=50&hl=en&lr=&newwindow=1&safe=off&c2cof
f=1&q=%22vonage+uses+asterisk%22&btnG=Search

According to public information, Voiceglo uses IAX and Asterisk:

http://lists.digium.com/pipermail/asterisk-users/2004-February/036311.ht
ml
  http://www.business2.com/b2/web/articles/0,17863,1059204,00.html

FYI: Voiceglo and theglobe.com are the same company for all intents and
purposes.

Therefore, I am very interested to see if this is merely co-incidental or if
there is a reason that Sprint picked out two providers that use Asterisk in
their core.  Despite hysteria or misinformation on this (and other) lists,
there is no direct information that I've seen that this is Sprint making a
blanket patent lawsuit against anyone using VoIP.  Perhaps this is just some
specific feature that they have a legitimate patent on which has been
infringed.  I doubt this is a codec patent issue, nor an equipment patent
issue (as previously discussed on -biz list.)

Is there anyone with better detail on the lawsuit specifics able to comment?

JT
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