Here we go again. As noted by AppleInsider, VoIP-Pal, which owns a portfolio of communications patents, has filed yet another lawsuit against Apple.
The complaint was lodged in the lawsuit-friendly U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas. It targets the “Apple Calling System” communications platform that includes Apple’s server infrastructure, consumer devices, and software applications. According to the lawsuit, this system infringes on a pair of patents — number 8,630,234 and 10,880,234 — held by VoIP-Pal.
If I’m counting correctly, this is the fourth lawsuit filed against Apple by the patent troll. A a patent troll is an individual or an organization that purchases and holds patents for unscrupulous purposes such as stifling competition or launching patent infringement suits. In legal terms, a patent troll is a type of non-practicing entity: someone who holds a patent but is not involved in the design or manufacture of any product or process associated with that patent.
VoIP-Pal is a publicly traded corporation that acquired Digifonica International Limited in 2013 in order to fund, co-develop and complete Digifonica’s suite of patents. Digifonica purportedly operationalized and tested its suite of software solutions with applications in five core areas of Internet connectivity: Routing, Billing and Rating; Lawful Intercept; Short Number Dialing (Enhanced 911) Mobile Gateway; and Uninterrupted Transmission.
