vonage

Vonage hopes recent Supreme Court decision can save it

Vonage may finally be catching a lucky break. A Supreme Court decision handed down on Monday may help save Vonage in its patent infringement appeal against Verizon.

On Tuesday, Vonage asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington, D.C., to send the patent infringement case back to the lower court to be retried based on the Supreme Court's decision in the KSR International v. Teleflex case.

The court's decision, handed down on Monday, implied that the patent system has tilted too far toward protecting patents that in many cases were filed for … Read more

Appeals court: Vonage can sign up new customers, for now

A federal appeals court on Tuesday granted Vonage a second reprieve in its attempts to continue to sign up customers while a patent lawsuit brought by Verizon is underway.

Just hours after hearing oral argument in the case, a three-judge panel at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit blocked a lower court's injunction that would have barred the Internet phone company from adding new customers. The appeals court had temporarily placed that injunction on hold on April 6, and Tuesday's order makes it permanent for the duration of the appeal process.

The court clerk'… Read more

Skype set to launch Skype Pro service

Skype is set to launch a new version of its VoIP phone service for international customers in 24 countries. The new service, named Skype Pro, won't charge by the minute for its SkypeOut service, which lets computers call landlines. Instead, it will charge users a €2-per-month subscription fee and €3.9 cents-per-call connection fee.

There are some benefits to the new system over the old one: specifically, free Skype voicemail (which used to cost about $20 a year) and a large discount on a SkypeIn number at which regular phones can call you. All in all, it's a … Read more

Monday evening CES round-up: Year of mobile?

-- Skype on a cell phone. You don't need a Skype-only handset or a bulky laptop to use Skype while traveling. Nokia has a Skype client built-in on its new N800 series. The good news is you can get your hands on the handset right away; the bad news is you won't be able to use Skype on it until June (Crave).

-- Yahoo launches Go 2.0. This new tool combines several of Yahoo's brands into a single mobile app. Most important is the new search tool called OneSearch, which is optimized for mobile phones. There'… Read more