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VoIP Inc. sues Google: alleges theft of trade secrets for click-to-call ads
Google's no stranger to the courtroom, and while their litigation with Oracle and Viacom has gotten all the publicity of late, VoIP Inc. -- perhaps in a move to help pay off its bankruptcy creditors -- has joined in the litigious fun by suing the search giant for stealing trade secrets. VoIP alleges Google entered a license agreement with one of its subsidiaries in 2005 for technology that allows users to click online ads to call the advertiser directly over the internet -- because, you know, the unwashed masses are just dying to chat with the makers of PajamaJeans. Google later said that VoIP violated its nondisclosure agreement by talking about the deal and killed the relationship, but VoIP claims the boys and girls in Mountain View used its tech to create click-to-call ads in a 2006 deal with eBay and Skype. The litigation is just getting started, so we've yet to see the complaint or Google's response, but we feel certain VoIP has asked for a princely sum as punishment for these transgressions. Time will tell if Google decides to cut a check, so stay tuned.
Vonage inks a safety net with VoIP Inc.
Vonage just announced a deal with VoIP, Inc. in hopes of skirting 2 of the 3 Verizon patents they were found to be infringing upon. The two-year deal allows VoIP Inc. to carry calls made by Vonage customers across its nationwide network -- likely under their existing VOICEONE brand. The agreement should provide Vonage (and its customers) some protection should the permanent injunction be upheld. After all, VoIP Inc. claims to own the intellectual property swaddling their network services. Something Vonage also claimed back in the day. Ah, such is patent law.
