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CBS MoneyWatch
September 30, 2004 2:06 PM

Rumble in the VoIP

By
John Borland
Topics
Broadband

You gotta give Michael Robertson credit. If there's one thing he knows well, it's the inside of a courtroom. The Sipphone founder (and MP3.com and Lindows founder) has sued Vonage, saying that the rival Net phone company is responsible for advertising VoIP hardware without disclosing that it would only work with the Vonage service. Sipphone customers have complained that they've bought the hardware from Fry's Electronics and discovered only later that it doesn't work with their service, the lawsuit said.

Robertson is the same guy that was sued by the record labels for tens of millions of dollars at MP3.com, lost, and then sold his company to a record label for $350 million to a record label. Then he started Lindows, a Linux-for-consumers operating system company, and was promptly sued by Microsoft for sounding too much like Windows. He's finally settled last spring.

But for once he's on the trigger end of the suit, and it could be a real issue. What he's complaining about is essentially the same as if you bought a specific phone and it only worked with a specific phone service. Yes, that's a common thing with cell phones, but not as much with computer hardware. What's at stake is the model for VoIP ?? will hardware be locked to a service, as are most cell phones (or the original AT&T equipment, before it got broken up), or will it be generic?

This is ultimately very important, since if hardware can work with any service, it makes it much simpler to switch providers.


Add a Comment See all 13 Comments
by pensacola8-2009 October 17, 2009 11:36 AM EDT
The Federal Financial Picture will look healthier when the US Dollar gets strong again. Many forgot that from 2001-2007 the US dollar weakened so badly that the cost of buying Euros almost doubled in those six years.

The recent reversal on the foriegn exchange markets signifies that confidence is coming back, but since it required 6 years to fall, it may easily require 6 more years to recover. There will be many iterations of financial markets shifting money between the USA and foriegn markets as other countries are required to control their trade deficits and keep their economies solvent without operating on borrowed income, as the USA has done for 38 years.
Reply to this comment
by mjvwsr October 17, 2009 11:43 AM EDT
the dollar can't get stronger with this debt
by winslowe1 October 16, 2009 9:39 PM EDT
Precisely what the majority of voters voted for.
Reply to this comment
by payasyougo October 16, 2009 8:49 PM EDT
There is absolutely no argument that President Bush and his congress left a pile of dog doo doo for the next administration. I'll give you that.

But the next administration has spread that doo doo all over the house. There was no attempt to clean it up. Now that the mess is everywhere.

This administration, in concert with the outgoing administration turned a four state housing bubble into a nationwide recession.

- The bailout funds have been for the benefit of government.
- The people that caused this mess are not only not in jail they are getting billions in bonuses.
- And Barney Frank still denies accountability. What regulation has changed to prevent another occurrence Mr. Frank? It has been a year. What is Frank's job description?

This whole thing still stinks.
Reply to this comment
by culturechang October 16, 2009 5:18 PM EDT
This is no surprise. The federal govt is enormous with tremendous power and expenses.
Reply to this comment
by dprice123-2009 October 16, 2009 5:07 PM EDT
U.S. Budget Deficit Now Stands at 10% of the Economy - Highest Since World War II.......The only difference is that we are not going to have the same prosperity that we had between 1945 and 1970.
Reply to this comment
by dprice123-2009 October 16, 2009 5:06 PM EDT
U.S. Budget Deficit Now Stands at 10% of the Economy - Highest Since World War II.......The only difference is that we are not going to have the same prosperity that we had between 1945 and 1970.
Reply to this comment
by sjc_1 October 16, 2009 4:59 PM EDT
But Cheney told Bush that Reagan proved "deficits don't matter".
Reply to this comment
by mav547166 October 16, 2009 5:31 PM EDT
And it seems that Obama listened.
by nextgenman09 October 16, 2009 6:31 PM EDT
And it seems that Bush listened and left the mess to Obama.
by mjvwsr October 16, 2009 4:14 PM EDT
typical late friday release
Reply to this comment
by erichsh October 16, 2009 7:56 PM EDT
And buried by the media. You'll also note that it's "President Barack Obama has pledged to reduce the deficit, but it's "the government" that lacks the will to do it.
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