Google whips out pocket cannon, fires VoIP patent sueball at BT

Google is suing BT in the US and the UK over allegations Blighty's national telco infringed four patents. The search giant typically leaves it to its Android phone-making pals, or its Motorola Mobility division, to drag rivals (read: Apple) into court over patents. But today, for the first time ever, it's seeking direct …

[Anonymous Coward]

If you poke the sleeping dog long enough, you are going to be bitten.

[Anonymous Coward]

Needs to be taken to the vet and its nuts removed so its less aggressive.

[Jason Hindle]

It appears BT have broken rule #1

Which states you shouldn't pick a fight unless you've already won.

[Anonymous Coward]

Oh the irony....

...a company buys a BT patent and troll against Google.

Google bitch and use patents they bought of another company?

troll meet troll.

[Vitani]

It hasn't been called British Telecom since 1991

... just sayin'

[JaitcH]

Re: It hasn't been called British Telecom since 1991

Post Office Telephones, with their little Post Office Morris series Z bashed out by Morris. The colour dated from their original wartime colours. If a technician was caught with Post Office tools in his house, he was liable to be charged with theft.

The labs were, long ago, a centre of technical excellence even the code-breaking Colossus computer, used at Bletchley Park during WW2, was built at the Post Office Research Station in Dollis Hill by a team led by the late Tommy Flowers.

ERNIE (Electronic Random Number Indicator Equipment) was built there for the government's Premium Bond lottery, Dollis Hill conceived Viewdata and the Prestel service (launched 1979) and Dollis Hill even has a war time cabinet bunker under it!

Sadly, it no longer enjoys it's former status.

[Anonymous Coward]

Bills

Oh well, that's the BT monthly standing charge going up another pound from autumn...

[Will Godfrey]

Re: Bills

Run away from BT now, and tell them why.

[b166er]

Boom! Get it right up ya!

I know, I always bang the anti BT drum, sorry :D

[Don Jefe]

Not Normally An Advocate

Of silly or retaliatory litigation but I hope Google crushes BT in this. My time in and around London was blighted by those asshats so I guess I'm just looking for revenge by proxy.

[The BigYin]

Stop!

Seriously, just stop. Void all technology/software patents now.

So much money being wasted on parasitic lawyers and clogging up the courts.

[vic 4]

Re: Stop!

> Void all technology/software patents now.

Can't agree with technology patents as a whole, I'd like to but without these there would be a serious lack of desire for research. SW patents I'm in agreement. What we do need is enforcement about what is worthy of a patent.

[John Lilburne]

BT should do a Frenchie and block access to google search.

[b166er]

Yes I agree, 'cos that would hasten their demise!

Keep the downvotes coming, I'm going for a record, c'mon, please?

If I say I hate BT with a passion, will you downvote me?

[Anonymous Coward]

BT

Got to say as much as I hate BT I'd imagine that Google should consider that such bastions of comms probably have some pretty narly bad ass patents they can sling about. I hate Google as much as I hate BT but I love both their products. Managers are wankers.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: BT

Really? Let me see.... Google, webmail, websearch, android are all well and good. Pity the poor sods who use spamwords etc. Most products from G have competitors from MS which are just as good, if not better, and definitely not so creepy.

As for BT. Products? You are kidding, right? Let me see DECT phones aren't too bad. As for IPClear, consumer broadband etc dream on!

[Mark 65]

Re: BT

@Colin: Much as I hate BT, for the uninformed out there such as yourself, BT used to be a major league R&D house in its past and have plenty of stuff on fibre optic comms for example and the associated science.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: BT

Said by the person with very little grasp of Bt "products". If you understood the role BT plays in the UK's telecoms infrastructure, especially TSO and Openreach you might not be quite of derisive.

[Mark Leaver]

I wonder what would happen

If DARPA came out and said they were going to turn off the internet until such times as all companies played fair.

Who would really win if the real heavy weights came out to play.

[Sandpit]

Re: I wonder what would happen

Dunno, but I'm pretty sure we would all lose

[despairing citizen]

Patently Obvious

The US rubber stamp office (sorry Patent Office) strikes again.

What part of these so called patents are not blindling obvious to a practioner in the field, and therefore fail the requirement to be inventive

Patents are suppose to be about protecting inventions, the only creative I see going on is in the patent application and approval process for big corp, et al.

[Paul Shirley]

BT built themselves a trolls reputation, payback time

I don't think anyone's forgiven them for the ludicrous 'we own hyperlinking' patent suits... BT have built a reputation for taking the piss. As any current or past BT customer already knows ;)

[John Smith 19]

Does anyone want *either* of them to win?

Troll Vs Troll.

The real winner will be the stupid American patent office, that continues to support this rubbish.

Unregulated virtual monopoly takes on another unregulated virtual monopoly.