[VoIP] Verizon v. Vonage and the future of VoIP

[John R. Covert]

As you may know, a jury found that Vonage infringed upon Verizon
patents relating to connecting calls between the PSTN and the
Internet.

Already other VoIP providers are running skeered.   The company
providing the gateway to CNET I put on a Minnesota number (218 area)
has shut down operations:

  Due to recent legal activity against some phone companies and other
  operators on VoIP terminated calls, TRX Telecommunications, Inc. will
  be suspending tollfree termination immediately, and will be
  discontinuing VoIP terminated DID service in the near future. We
  are not now nor have we been named previously in any lawsuit.

As far as I can tell, all VoIP connections between the Internet and the
Public Telephone network would be subject to this patent infringement claim.

We'll need to wait and see whether the patent holds up under a serious
challenge. Remember, the jury only found that the patent was violated;
the question of whether the patent is valid has yet to come before a
court. Verizon may have patented something as obvious as pouring water
into a pan and putting it on the stove to boil.  The U.S. Patent system
is completely out of control.

Pulver media is presenting a webinar on the issues Thursday afternoon,
which I plan to attend.

/john