An eight-member federal jury has ordered loss-generating VoIP provider Vonage to pay Verizon Communications $58 million plus a 5.5 percent royalities on future sales for infringing on three Verizon patents.
In announcing its decision, the jury rejected Vonage’s argument that Verizon’s patents were invalid, but didn’t go as far as Verizon would have liked: Verizon was asking for $197 million in damages and a 19 percent royalty rate going forward on Vonage’s future sales. In a brief statement, Verizon said “Verizon’s innovations are central to its strategy of building the best communications networks in the world. We are proud of our inventors and pleased the jury stood up for the legal protections they deserve.”
