Vonage Sued by AT&T

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Rich Tate

Supreme [H]ardness
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Jun 9, 2005
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AT&T has filed suit against Vonage for alleged patent infringement.

filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Vonage Holdings Corp (VG.N), according to a Vonage regulatory filing on Friday, the latest legal trouble for the Internet phone service provider
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It's amazing how all these telephone companies have patents for every single little step of VOIP implementation and yet not a single one of them ever tried to bring to market a VOIP product before vonage. They researched everything down to the tiniest of specifications about VOIP, even the way home users would use it, and patented everything to try to completely block anybody else from actually releasing such a product.

The exact opposite of what patents were suppose to do. (increase innovation)
 
Could be because it's a flawed technology. It's a step backwards imho... the Bell System prided/prides itself on 99.999% uptime... VOIP is lucky to get 95% uptime.

That, and if you start using a technology based on someone elses patents, you get what you deserve.
 
I've been using Vonage for quite a while and am quite happy with it. It offers many things the telcos are unable to provide. I am a little concerned about all these lawsuits though, I'd hate to see this company go under. If I had to start using a regular phone line my bill would be $200+ dollars a month, something I definitely can not afford.
 
uberbucket said:
I've been using Vonage for quite a while and am quite happy with it. It offers many things the telcos are unable to provide. I am a little concerned about all these lawsuits though, I'd hate to see this company go under. If I had to start using a regular phone line my bill would be $200+ dollars a month, something I definitely can not afford.
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agreed. But i doubt it will be over $200+ when we didn't had vonage... it was like around $50 a month.
 
I predict AT&T getting another GOV smackdown within 10 years, they are taking over everything again, and it won't be long before they start price fixing yet again.
 
nvidiapwnsati said:
agreed. But i doubt it will be over $200+ when we didn't had vonage... it was like around $50 a month.
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I'm paying $24 a month for unlimited calls in the U.S. I talked to friends all the time on the East Cost,(I'm on the West Coast), and used to have horrible phone bills.
 
Ualdayan said:
It's amazing how all these telephone companies have patents for every single little step of VOIP implementation and yet not a single one of them ever tried to bring to market a VOIP product before vonage. They researched everything down to the tiniest of specifications about VOIP, even the way home users would use it, and patented everything to try to completely block anybody else from actually releasing such a product.

The exact opposite of what patents were suppose to do. (increase innovation)
Click to expand...

bingo, patents are no longer a means to protect your ideas, they are now becoming more and more a tool for companies to prevent any competition and stifle innovation...

its really pathetic and shows you the true greed that drives these huge companies...
 
Instead of competing, AT&T (like many others) find it easier to sue the current front-runner in VOIP to make money. The thing is, VOIP has been around for a long, long time, most international calls have been basically VOIP for years. Vonage was the first company to really make a go with VOIP while the rest of them were already making too much money ripping people off on old technology. Ironically Verizon's patents (which they sued Vonage for) were largely thrown out and were mostly based on billing, not VOIP technology. These guys know that their days of ripping off people are numbered, and they are out for blood. I have had vonage for well over a year now, and I will NEVER go back to BellSouth (very happy). Even the other VOIP guys are charging a lot more than Vonage. I hope Vonage beats the rap, after all, it's not like AT&T really needs the money and doesn't already dominate the entire telecommunications industry. Given the current set of laws and those in power, it doesn't look good for them though.
 
AT&T was bought out by cingular a while ago, this isn't the same AT&T as it was when it was about to be split.
 
How does this company turn a profit with all these 6 million lawsuits?:eek:

Maybe they have their own printing press.

I've noticed they advertise no where near as much as they used to. Maybe they cut back on that.

I always hated the stupid music in their commericals.
 
I wouldnt really consider VOIP new technology and the phone line old technology because VOIP still have problems, especially VOIP connections thru cable internet with mutiple, simultaneous users. It's best called an alternate technology for..errr. until they manage to provide a connection with clear and stable signals without drop calls.
 
LOCO LAPTOP said:
I been using VOIP for the past 4 years and I have yet to get a drop call.
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Then you sir is one lucky man. I live with 3 people, which no one hogs the bandwidth and get the occasion drop calls every second call.
Even calls next door (literally) get dropped.
 
Jeff Foley said:
Could be because it's a flawed technology. It's a step backwards imho... the Bell System prided/prides itself on 99.999% uptime... VOIP is lucky to get 95% uptime.

That, and if you start using a technology based on someone elses patents, you get what you deserve.
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Flawed technology? 95% uptime?! LMFAO. What rock have you been under? In the 4 years of my VOIP service (I got 3 VOIP services), not a single outage, not one minute, not one second.

Most businesses and especially outsourced businesses runs VOIP....not Bell... if they had a 95% uptime, imagine the loss of business. I have yet to hear how VOIP is a flawed technology.



k1pp3r said:
I predict AT&T getting another GOV smackdown within 10 years, they are taking over everything again, and it won't be long before they start price fixing yet again.
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I agree... the are going down the very same path as before.

uberbucket said:
I'm paying $24 a month for unlimited calls in the U.S. I talked to friends all the time on the East Cost,(I'm on the West Coast), and used to have horrible phone bills.
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Same. My phone bills could reach $600 a month before, now... $24 a month.. can't beat that. Now I wish they could do the same type of thing for my cell phone, lol.

FLECOM said:
bingo, patents are no longer a means to protect your ideas, they are now becoming more and more a tool for companies to prevent any competition and stifle innovation...

its really pathetic and shows you the true greed that drives these huge companies...
Click to expand...

Agreed.

VanQuiShEr said:
I wouldnt really consider VOIP new technology and the phone line old technology because VOIP still have problems, especially VOIP connections thru cable internet with mutiple, simultaneous users. It's best called an alternate technology for..errr. until they manage to provide a connection with clear and stable signals without drop calls.
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It's not up to the VOIP companies to provide you with a stable and good connection, it's up to you to buy a better internet carrier. Why not blame your internet company rather than the VIOP company.

This is like blaming BMW because you keep getting flat tires when you run over deep potholes.

VanQuiShEr said:
Then you sir is one lucky man. I live with 3 people, which no one hogs the bandwidth and get the occasion drop calls every second call.
Even calls next door (literally) get dropped.
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I think you have other issues. This isn't normal or even remotley near normal. You need to have your router checked, your connection, and your service.
 
Eseipel said:
AT&T was bought out by cingular a while ago, this isn't the same AT&T as it was when it was about to be split.
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It's the other way around. Cingular was bought out by AT&T recently.
 
It's not up to the VOIP companies to provide you with a stable and good connection, it's up to you to buy a better internet carrier. Why not blame your internet company rather than the VIOP company.

This is like blaming BMW because you keep getting flat tires when you run over deep potholes.



I think you have other issues. This isn't normal or even remotley near normal. You need to have your router checked, your connection, and your service.
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My bandwith limit are dload-1055KB/sec and upload 100KBps. Second best connection available. When gaming, I absolute have no lag or stutter.

Whether im running thru my routers, linksyswrt54gs or dklink604i, or straight from the modem it doesn't make any difference. VOIP still drop me calls.

I could blame my carrier, but if i switch to ventrilo, it clear and it's free. But i need a phone number.
 
VanQuiShEr said:
My bandwith limit are dload-1055KB/sec and upload 100KBps. Second best connection available. When gaming, I absolute have no lag or stutter.

Whether im running thru my routers, linksyswrt54gs or dklink604i, or straight from the modem it doesn't make any difference. VOIP still drop me calls.

I could blame my carrier, but if i switch to ventrilo, it clear and it's free. But i need a phone number.
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Go into your control panel and play with the settings. Also, who is your ISP, some have been known to block things or drop things.
 
Ockie said:
Go into your control panel and play with the settings. Also, who is your ISP, some have been known to block things or drop things.
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Probably Comcast filtering Vonage stuff so you have to buy their VOIP lmao. Wouldn't surprise me if that is actually seriously true.
 
Eseipel said:
AT&T was bought out by cingular a while ago, this isn't the same AT&T as it was when it was about to be split.
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Like posted before, AT&T bought cingular, this is the same AT&T that had gov regulations put on much of their business, they are still trying to get a lot of the regulations taken off their business.

Since the gov regulations, AT&T has been a sleeping giant, now that the time limit is up and the regulations will likely not be renewed, they are pumping out business like mad.
 
Eseipel said:
AT&T was bought out by cingular a while ago, this isn't the same AT&T as it was when it was about to be split.
Click to expand...

In addition to everyone else's correction it was Cingular/BellSouth they bought. You know part of old Ma Bell.
 
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