Web Telephony files suit over VoIP patents

Voice over IP may be attracting customers, but it also attracting lawsuits.

The latest involves an Illinois company, Web Telephony, which filed suit in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas claiming that Verizon, AT&T, Vonage, Earthlink, and Sunrocket are infringing on two of its patents for Internet-controlled telephone systems.

If upheld, the suit could have a significant impact on a growing market that affects a broad range of electronics used to supply everything from routers used in voice over Internet Protocol systems to computer hardware. The market is seen as a significant demand driver for that type of hardware, as well as the components used to make them.

The two patents, issued in 2002 and 2004, focus on the ability to control a telephone system “using commands transmitted from a subscriber location over the Internet to a host computer, which provides telephone services,” according to legal papers.

Web telephony is seeking an injunction as well as compensatory damages

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