Google is being sued due to Google Talk

ONLINE SEARCH outfit Google is being sued over the Voice over IP version of its Google Talk software.

According to Gary Price of Search Engine Watch an outfit called Rates Technology has filed the complaint in New York.

Basically, Rates Technology says it has two patents for minimising the cost of long distance calls using the Internet. The main patent is 5,425,085.

There is an interesting interview with Rates Technology CEO, Jerry Weinberger. here.

Rates has sued Nortel, Sharp and others over patents it holds and has gone to court more than 25 times in the last 15 years to defend them. It generally asks for a one off payment to go away.

Weinberger is reported as saying that to take his company on you need a million dollars in legal fees just to start. The smaller companies are more likely to resist, he said.

Source: Theinquirer