Apple and AT&T settle visual voicemail lawsuit with Klausner Technology Inc.
Apple has long been king of the patent lawsuit, going after everyone both large and small at the slightest hint of patent violation. Apple is also known for being the target of patent lawsuits, and this suit that pitted strange bedfellows Apple, eBay and AT&T against Klausner Technology is no exception.
Klausner accused Apple of usurping its patent on visual voicemail. eBay and AT&T were also included as targets in the law suit. I suppose if your goal is a nice, fat payday on your idea, then going after three industry heavy hitters in a lawsuit is a must.
Apple isn’t getting the exclusive that it wanted with this one. The company settled the lawsuit and agreed to license the technology under a non-exclusive deal. The deal also gives AT&T and eBay rights to use the technology for their applications, and Klausner is expected to sell licenses to Comcast Corp and Cablevision Systems Corp as well.
I’m sure Apple is sulking a bit over the way this lawsuit played out. The company likes to be the company with the coolest toys in the sandbox, and doesn’t like to share. It will be interesting to see if Apple turns the decision around to work in its favor by partnering with Comcast or Cablevision to incorporate the Apple TV in their plans in some fashion. I certainly wouldn’t put it past them.
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