Verizon sues Charter over VoIP patents

Verizon has fired off its second patent action at a cable VoIP provider, this time against Charter Communications in Texas. Verizon is claiming eight patent breaches, a copycat of its action against Cox Communications in Virginia. Two of the patents are the same Verizon successfully sued VoIP pure play Vonage for. Vonage late last year paid $120 million to Verizon after a court found it had breached Verizon's patents.

Both actions claim damages and demand the cable companies cease using the VoIP technology. Four of the patents are about the method Cox and Charter use to connect VoIP calls. All the cable companies use PacketCable architecture--developed by the industry R&D house Cable Labs--to deliver their IP communications. If the actions are successful, it could affect all the cable companies, says Fred Grasso, a VoIP patent expert with Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman. He told Light Reading: "An overarching theme is that it seems Verizon is picking patents that are essential to providing VoIP service."

Verizon has been losing access lines as customers switch to tripleplay offerings from the cable companies. Comcast claims over four million customers, making it the fourth biggest telephony provider in the U.S. Any action by Verizon would almost certainly be strongly defended by the deep pocketed cable company and may also see the whole vexed issue of VoIP patents taken to superior courts. Sprint has been criticized for suing a number of smaller VoIP providers for patent breaches for technology which existed well before Sprint claimed rights over it.

Four years in the making, patent reform legislation--including provisions to try and stop wide ranging patent legal actions--is stalled in Congress. The Bush administration opposes the new law.

For more:
- Verizon sues Charter for VoIP patents Article [1]
- If you cant beat 'em, sue 'em Article [2]
- New patent law in long line Article [3]

Related articles:
Sprint goes to court for patent breaches Report [4]
VoIP patent landscape explained Report [5]