Klausner settles with SimulScribe in visual voicemail suit

January 23, 2008

Apple, AT&T, Comcast and Cablevision are among the companies still in litigation over the Klausner Technologies patent

SimulScribe LLC., a co-defendant with Apple Inc. in a patent infringement suit, has settled with and licensed Klausner Technologies’ patents for visual voicemail.

Apple, AT&T, Comcast and Cablevision are among the companies still in litigation over the Klausner Technologies patent, which is for the same solution as SimulSays, SimulScribes’ visual voicemail solution for Research in Motion, Windows Mobile and Apple’s Visual Voicemail, claims Klausner Technologies.

"We are happy to add SimulScribe to our growing list of licensees,” said Judah Klausner, CEO of Klausner Technologies, in a statement.

“SimulScribe’s visual voicemail for mobile phones and computer inboxes is an excellent example of our patented visual voice messaging technology, letting consumers view and select voice messages in a similar fashion to the way they view and select e-mails," he said.

The license covers SimulScribe’s visual voicemail service, which allows subscribers to selectively retrieve voice messages from a mobile phone or computer display.

SimulScribe is the latest defendant in a series of lawsuits brought by Klausner Technologies over visual voicemail licensing.

News reports suggest that the major players will eventually settle, judging by current Klausner licensees, including Time Warner’s AOL and Vonage Holdings Inc. among others.

Klausner Technologies filed a lawsuit against Vonage’s voicemail platform in 2006 and sought $180 million in damages. The companies reached an agreement, but the terms were never disclosed.

In December, Apple and AT&T were both hit with patent infringement claims over the iPhone's visual voicemail feature that lets users see the full list of voicemail messages on screen and listen to them in any order.

The suits were filed by the California law firm of Dovel & Luner in a federal court in the Eastern District of Texas on behalf of Klausner Technologies. Klausner Technologies was founded by Mr. Klausner, the inventor of the PDA and electronic organizer.

As per the patent license agreement with Klausner Technologies, in addition to SimulScribe’s visual voicemail service, its new SimulSays visual voicemail application for Research in Motion’s BlackBerry and Windows Mobile phones is now licensed in the United States, Canada and Europe.