I think the message for the rest of the VoIP industry is:
You're next
Maybe true, but I have a different opinion.
The ruling included an explicit list of the algorithms that infringed on
Verizon (shout out thanks go to Peter for these). It's clear that you can
build VoIP service without infringement ... but Vonage didn't ... not because
it had to intentionally use the Verizon algorithms, but because it didn't know
any better (because they didn't know enough to check for IPR). Vonage will be
infringement free as soon as they re-engineer their service (and open for new
business) ... and you know they'll be re-engineering at full-steam. Depending
on how quickly they got started (presumably they've already been working
full-steam since the initial infringement lawsuit was filed) it could be up and
running within months (or less).
Small fish will never be gone after by Verizon, and hopefully the open-source
project VoIP solutions are IPR infringement free (or will soon be ... having
been awakened to the implications of IPR by this ruling).
I think the real message for the rest of the VoIP industry is that the big
players (both manufacturers and operators) religiously protect their IPR, and
if you want to compete (meaning: grow large) you better pay attention.
Vonage's crime was complete total ignorance of the law of IPR (which we all
know is always a very poor legal defense for breaking the law).
Rich
p.s. On re-reading before hitting SEND I note that I use the IPR acronym
without definition ... hopefully the readers here know that IPR means
Intellectual Property Rights (meaning patents copyrights).
- Original Message -
From: Jack Unger
To: WISPA General List
Sent: Friday, April 06, 2007 2:01 PM
Subject: Re: [WISPA] NO new customers for VONAGE
I think the message for the rest of the VoIP industry is:
You're next
George Rogato wrote:
Yipes! this is going to really hurt.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070406/ap_on_hi_te/vonage_verizon_suit
I wonder what this means for the rest of the voip industry...
--
Jack Unger ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) - President, Ask-Wi.Com, Inc.
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