Inventor sues Google, Verizon and others on voicemail
|
|
|
| Posted
:
Tue, 26 Aug 2008 20:14:58 GMT |
| By
:
Reuters |
| Category
:
US (Business) |
| News Alerts by
Email ( click
here ) |
|
US Business News |
Home
|
|
|
|
By Eric AuchardSAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Emboldened by settlements with Apple Inc and AT&T Inc , inventor Judah Klausner filed a new voicemail patent lawsuit on Tuesday against Google Inc , Verizon Communications Inc and others.The inventor's company, Klausner Technologies Inc, also named as defendants LG Electronics Inc <066570.KS> Comverse Technology Inc , Citrix Systems Inc Embarq Corp in a patent infringement complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Tyler, Texas, according to a court filing.The new case involves claims by Klausner tied to patents in various countries he began receiving in 1992 for "visual voicemail" -- applying a graphical way of interacting with voicemail messages that allow it to be used like e-mail.In June, Apple, which recently popularized "visual voicemail" through its hit iPhone device, together with AT&T and eBay Inc, the owner of Web-based calling service Skype, settled a patent suit filed last December by Klausner.Privately held Klausner has not disclosed financial details of the settlements or related patent licensing deals.Klausner previously sued and won settlements from Time Warner Inc's AOL and Vonage Holdings Corp .Comcast Corp , which was also sued in the December case, recently agreed to a licensing deal as part of its own settlement, Klausner said in a telephone interview. Klausner remains in talks with Cablevision Systems Corp , another defendant.U.S. wireless carrier Sprint Nextel Corp signed a licensing deal with Klausner without being sued. The contract covers voicemail features on its "Instinct" phone from Samsung Electronics Co Ltd <005930.KS> that competes with Apple's iPhone.In December, Klausner sued seven companies for what he said in a news release was $360 million in damages and royalties for violating patents on technology that sends visual alerts to computers or mobile telephones when a user has a voice message and allows users to selectively retrieve messages.The new lawsuit names nine companies and their affiliates as defendants.A Web-based unified phone messaging start-up, Grand Central Communications Inc, which Google acquired a year ago, was also named in the suit. Other defendants include privately held cable operator Cox Communications and voice-over-Internet start-ups PhoneFusion and RingCentral, the court filing said.Klausner first sued AOL in 2005 and has filed a succession of cases since then. The inventor said he would consider filing lawsuits against additional companies that failed to license his patents, including Web-based phone service providers, but that many smaller companies have opened settlement talks recently.The latest complaint seeks a jury trial. The plaintiffs are represented by Dovel & Luner LLP of Santa Monica, California. Klausner, 56, is a serial inventor who licensed patents on personal electronic organizers to Japanese consumer electronics makers in the 1970s and 1980s.(Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe and Andre Grenon)
(c) Reuters 2008. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by caching, framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters and the Reuters sphere logo are registered trademarks and trademarks of the Reuters group of companies around the world.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Related News
US economy grew 2.8 per cent in third quarter - Summary
Washington - The US economy grew at an annual rate of 2.8 per cent in the third quarter of this year, according to an updated government estimate Tuesday that confirmed the United States has likely emerged from its deepest recession in decades. But t...
EXTRA: US consumer confidence up slightly in November
Washington - Consumer confidence in the United States rose slightly in November after two straight months of declines, according to a private research group Tuesday, reflecting cautious optimism as the country recovers from a deep recession. The New ...
US economy grew 2.8 per cent in third quarter - 2nd Update
Washington - The US economy grew at an annual rate of 2.8 per cent in the third quarter of this year, according to an updated government estimate Tuesday that confirmed the United States has likely emerged from its deepest recession in decades. The f...
US economy grew 2.8 per cent in third quarter - Update
Washington - The US economy grew at an annual rate of 2.8 per cent in the third quarter of this year, according to an updated government estimate Tuesday that confirmed the United States has likely emerged from its deepest recession in decades. The f...
US economy grew 2.8 per cent in third quarter
Washington - The US economy grew at an annual rate of 2.8 per cent in the third quarter of this year, according to an updated government estimate Tuesday, confirming that the world's largest economy has likely emerged from its deepest recession in de...
HP sees 'encouraging signs of recovery,' profit climbs 14 per cent
San Francisco - The world's biggest computer maker Hewlett Packard said Monday that it saw encouraging signs of recovery as its quarterly earnings rose 14 per cent. The Silicon Valley company said it earned 2.4 billion dollars in the quarter, up fr...
US stocks gain on surprise home sales recovery
New York - US stocks surged Monday after the release of some surprisingly buoyant data on home sales. Existing home sales surged to 6.1 million units in October, the highest annualized rate since February 2007 and up 10.1 per cent from September, acc...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
