Vonage gets reprieve, can sign up new customers

Vonage's Friday was not the kind of day you'd wish even on an enemy. In the morning the trial judge in its patent loss to Verizon ruled that Vonage would not be allowed to sign up new customers. In the afternoon--after the close of business--an appeals judge temporarily stayed the injunction, allowing Vonage to operate as normal, whatever that is these days, until at least another hearing can be held. As of this writing (Sunday night), no date has been set for that hearing. Given the rate of Vonage's spending to gain those new customers, we wouldn't blame stockholders if they heaved a sigh of relief that someone was getting the company to stop. But of course, no one could stop customers from leaving, and it doesn't take much imagination to believe that a lot of clients might be having second thoughts about this whole VoIP thing. It's true enough that it's the pioneers who get arrows in the back, and at least part of Vonage's pitch is that VoIP isn't the frontier anymore. Surprise!

For more about the Vonage dust-up:
- read this PC World article

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