NetStumbler

Vonage Requests Retrial In Verizon Patent Dispute

Eliza Villarino — Thu, 03 May 2007 06:38:26 +0000

Vonage has petitioned the U.S. Appeals Court for the Federal Circuit to defer its appeal and order a retrial of its patent dispute with Verizon. The company cited the U.S. Supreme Court ruling on the KSR International v. Teleflex suit, which stated that the current test for patent obviousness is too stiff for suspect patents to be challenged. “According to the Supreme Court’s ruling, if you patent an orange picker, and then someone else comes along and puts a glove on it to protect the oranges against bruising, you can’t patent this new invention as ‘novel’ as it is just an obvious improvement of the original invention. The Supreme Court’s decision thus focuses on keeping only what’s truly novel and original protected by patents,” said Vonage chief legal officer Sharon O’Leary.

In March, a jury found Vonage guilty of infringing three Verizon patents and told the VoIP startup to pay $58 million worth of damages as well as royalties on future sales. The Federal Circuit agreed last week to allow Vonage to continue signing up customers during the appeals process.

Verizon deputy general counsel John Thorne said Vonage’s latest action has “no merit. Thorne regarded it as “a delaying tactic to avoid final resolution of the appeal.” Verizon plans to submit a brief on May 2 in response to Vonage’s motion.
Via [zdnet.com]

Vonage Shares Plunge On Bankruptcy Fears

Kristin Abraham — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 13:06:12 +0000

Vonage has publicly admitted that it may be on the brink of bankruptcy. They blame the cost of fighting several patent lawsuits for their financial troubles as they report their shares have dropped another 6 percent. Since Vonage went public last May at $17 per share they have lost over 80 percent of their value and currently rest at just over $3 a share. In March the a jury ruled that Vonage infringed on three of Verizon’s VoIP patents and ordered them to pay more than $58 million in damages plus an additional 5.5 percent on future sales.
Via [msnbc.msn.com]

Which Verizon Patents Did Vonage Violate?

Kristin Abraham — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 12:53:00 +0000

Vonage was found guilty of violating three of Verizon’s business method patents. Two of the patents define VoIP traffic and how it’s handled on traditional Public Switched Telephone Networks (PSTN). The third patent covers the spectrum from wireline to Wi-Fi VoIP support.
Via [networkworld.com]

Coming Up: Vonage Wireless?

Eliza Villarino — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 15:56:00 +0000

VoIP startup Vonage announced plans to begin offering dual-mode handsets with support for both cellular and Wi-Fi access during the second half of the year. This is the latest in a series of steps taken by the company as part of its diversification strategy. It is selling V-Phone — a VoIP phone in a stick that enables users to make calls online when it is attached to a PC — and plans to go into resale deals with ISPs, similar to what it has with Charter Communications.

Analysts believe Vonage is making the latest movie because it suffered a decline in subscription growth over the last holiday season as rival companies such as Comcast, Cablevision, and Cox Cable companies started offering VoIP or Web-calling services. In addition, other VoIP providers have decided to go mobile (Norway’s Telco) or wireless (Skype).
Via [businessweek.com]

Vonage Gets WiFi Coverage For WiFi Phones In UK

Eliza Villarino — Mon, 08 May 2006 06:59:00 +0000

Vonage users in the U.K. can now make free phone calls so long as they are within The Cloud hotspot. If they however wander outside the coverage, the calls will be dropped off. Vonage Managing Director Kerry Ritz deemed the new service “a wake-up call for the telecoms market,” as “it’s saying there’s really a much better, cheaper way of making calls.” The Cloud has set up hotspots in several U.K. cities, including central London and the Canary Wharf financial district, as well as in the country’s airports and major railway stations.
Via [mobilemag.com]

Vonage To Sell Wi-Fi Phone

Wayne Slavin — Fri, 23 Dec 2005 10:49:00 +0000

Vonage will announce Tuesday the availability of its long-anticipated portable Wi-Fi phone that will let people use the company’s IP telephony when they’re connected to any public hot spot.
Via [news.com.com]

Vonage, WiMax Provider Team Up

Wayne Slavin — Thu, 11 Aug 2005 17:36:00 +0000

TowerStream, a provider of high-speed Internet services using cutting-edge WiMax technology, has teamed with Internet telephony giant Vonage in one of the first co-marketing agreements of its kind.
Via [news.com.com]

Vonage, Cisco Team Up In Wi-Fi Giveaway

Wayne Slavin — Wed, 22 Jun 2005 18:53:00 +0000

In a bid to attract more subscribers, Net phone operator Vonage announced Monday that it’s giving away Linksys Wi-Fi access points to U.S. residents who sign up for Vonage calling plans by July 23.
Via [news.com.com]

VoIP: Vonage To Go Mobile

Wayne Slavin — Mon, 23 May 2005 11:02:00 +0000

Vonage, a provider of internet-based calling services, is testing wireless routers – a sign the company is on the verge of debuting a mobile offering.
Via [silicon.com]

Vonage Announces WiFi Phone Release

Wayne Slavin — Mon, 10 Jan 2005 15:35:00 +0000

New Jersey-based VoIP provider Vonage announced today that it will soon be offering its subscribers a WiFi telephone that can be used to make calls over the internet at WiFi-enabled homes and public hot-spots.
Via [voxilla.com]

Vonage And Linksys Now Offering Bundle

Wayne Slavin — Tue, 09 Nov 2004 16:06:00 +0000

Vonage and Linksys have announced the availability of a Wireless-G Broadband Router with 2 phone ports bundled with Vonage’s service.

VoIP Unplugged, As Wi-Fi Meets Net Phoning

Wayne Slavin — Tue, 19 Oct 2004 18:04:00 +0000

Two major VoIP providers took steps Monday to further unwire Net-based phoning, traditionally a service tethered by wires.
Via [news.com.com]