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Google settles Visual Voicemail dispute with Klausner, too

By: , IntoMobile
Wednesday, March 11th, 2009 at 2:40 PM

google-logoChalk up another win for Klausner. Klausner Technologies’ CEO Judah Klausner has announced that the patent-holding company that bears his namesake has netted yet another settlement from none other than Google. Klausner sued Google for infringing on intellectual property holdings that are apparently inherent to Visual Voicemail systems used by several other mobile companies. Klausner’s settlement with Google follows a string of licensing deals and settlements from Apple, AT&T, Verizon, LG and Sprint.

The specifics of the Google-Klausner settlement are unclear, but Klausner stated that “Google has a license to Klausner’s visual voicemail patents,” in a phone call to Reuters. Google is presumably cleared to use the Visual Voicemail license in web-based services like Grand Central, but Klausner declined to comment on just how extensively Google’s patent license covered users of the Google-made Android OS.

Phone manufacturers looking to use Android OS to power their smartphones may still be subject to licensing claims by Klausner. If true, Android’s appeal as a powerful mobile platform could become somewhat eroded.

[Via: Reuters]

About The Author

Will Park

Will hails from The City of Angels - Los Angeles, California. He spends his time playing with his numerous gadgets and looking forward to seeing what future holds for mobile technology. An avid promoter of a fully "digital" life, he promotes the widespread adoption of truly mobile, paper-less living. He dreams of the day when he can go completely digital. No more snail mail, paper receipts, bound books, notepads/spiral notebooks, credit cards, hard currency. He's a digital warrior - fighting for the converged life. He is an idealist and a realist - he has a perfect view of what the world should be but knows that the world is not perfect. Can we ever hope to see Will's dream become reality? We'll see...