Emboldened by the easy victories of other telecoms, AT&T has directed its squad of time traveling super-lawyers to sue Vonage for patent infringement. [NYT]
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Comments:
When are people going to wise up and realize it isn't CAPITALISM that brings them the benefits of modern technology, it's COMPETITION?
So many people are so fooled into making protecting the one a core of their ideology that they completely forget that the other is the whole reason that they should want to protect it in the first place.
I had Vonage first, then Sunrocket. Now Via-Talk. I got out of Vonage when I realized that I was paying for all of their annoying commercials, and that it's cost per subscriber (the marketing cost of acquiring a new subscriber) was not sustainable, as a business model.
What is great about Vonage is that it was the first company to bring this concept to the masses. Right now, they are just dying the death of a thousand cuts (or lawsuits).
It really is a shame though. I'll keep jumping from VOIP carrier, even if they keep shutting them down. Why? I pulled out some of my bills from 1998. Average bill was about $75/month NOT including long distance. I now pay $199/year, including taxes and long distance. A very compelling argument to put up with all the interruptions and lawsuit nonsense.
Vonage's biggest problem was being ahead of it's time.
AT&T, just being a typical American business....don't invest in the future; rather, invest in the CEO's bonus, and when someone else thinks of it first, sue them out of business.
Vonage charged my credit card a $39.95 cancellation fee. I had to dispute the charge with my credit card company to have it removed. Vonage claimed the cacellation charge was in the agreement, but I didn't see it when I signed up.
I don't think AT&T is looking for an easy victory; I believe they want this to drag out and bleed one of their competitors dry through legal fees. This situation doesn't look like a case of an easy target, it's a case of kicking a company while it's down. With naked DSL and FIOS making thier way to the country, AT&T will soon lose their monopoly share unless they can squash competition early.