Vonage ordered to pay $58 million for patent infringement

Alexandria (VA) - Three out of seven patent infringement claims brought against Internet phone company Vonage by Verizon held up in court and resulted in a $58 million award for Verizon.

The judgment is about 70% below the $197 million Verizon had originally requested. According to the jury, Vonage’s patent infringement was not willful and therefore there was no basis for Verizon to request triple damages.

Vonage said that it intends to take the case into appeal and expects the verdict to be reversed.

Also, there has been no decision yet on Verizon’s request to prevent Vonage from using its technology. "We don’t believe there is any basis to support Verizon’s request for an injunction and we will have the opportunity to present our position to the trial court shortly," the firm said. In the case of an injunction, Vonage said that it would seek an immediate stay from the Federal Court of Appeals.

A hearing on Verizon’s request for an injunction is scheduled for March 23.