Panasonic Confirms Plan to Seek Royalties from Competitors for Use of “VoIP”®
Panasonic has owned “VoIP”® trademark since 1974, and will seek royalty payments, or injunctions to stop competitors from using “VoIP”® term. Panasonic initially targets 34 companies, including AT&T, Microsoft, Cisco, IBM, Avaya, Hewlett-Packard, Uniden, Skype, and Vonage.
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April 1, 2007 (FPRC) -- SECAUCUS, NEW JERSEY -- Panasonic Communications Co., Ltd. has confirmed published reports that it will be seeking royalty payments, or injunctions to stop other companies from using the term "VoIP®," which has been a registered trademark of the international electronics firm for over 30 years.
According to Kunio Watanabe, Panasonic Executive Vice President for Legal Affairs, "in 1973, there were discussions about expanding Panasonic's US headquarters, then in the PanAm Building in Manhattan, to become Panasonic's world headquarters. We considered buying the building, and changing the sign on the rooftop from PanAm to Panasonic."
"Although the building was sold to MetLife instead of to us, and corporate headquarters remained in Japan," Watanabe continued, "we did develop a promotional plan to establish the New York City operation as the "Voice of International Panasonic." The term "VoIP"® was registered with the United States Patent and Trademark Office in 1974, and has been renewed and kept current."
"The VoIP® trademark," Watanabe emphasized, "is valuable Panasonic intellectual property, and is becoming more valuable every day. We can prove that Panasonic is the original VoIP® company. With the introduction of our new Globarange VoIP® phones and service, and our previously introduced VoIP®-enabled KX-TDA business phone systems, we won't stand idly by while other companies compete with us, while using our registered trademark. We are initially targeting 34 companies -- including AT&T, Microsoft, Cisco, IBM, Avaya, Hewlett-Packard, Uniden, Skype, and Vonage -- who offer alleged VoIP® services and products. We will offer them a choice of purchasing a license for the use of our trademark, or to develop their own terminology.”
“Over 60 years ago,” Watanabe concluded, “the Radio Corporation of America developed an audio connector that became known as the RCA jack. Hundreds of companies have been able to sell countless millions of items called RCA jacks and plugs, with no financial benefit to RCA. Panasonic will not let that happen with our VoIP®.”
Later this month, Panasonic will launch a "First with VoIP®" multimedia marketing campaign to promote its new Globarange phones and free worldwide calling service, developed to use the “joip” service of New York-based VoIP® service provider deltathree, Inc.
Globarange phones are hybrid two-line 5.8GHz and DECT cordless phones, supporting both landline and joip-powered VoIP® services. The phones allow calls to be made and received via both the VoIP® line and a regular landline connection from any of its multiple cordless handsets. This innovative phone provides a solution for consumers who want to enjoy the best of both worlds: the traditional landline phone and VoIP®. Consumers can maximize the benefits of VoIP® service, including free and low-cost calls as well as advanced features, without being tied to a computer. At the same time, they maintain their current landline service, phone number, and traditional phone user experience.
ABOUT PANASONIC:
Panasonic Communications Co., Ltd. (PCC) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Osaka, Japan-based Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. The company specializes in development, manufacturing and sales in the fixed-line communications equipment areas of operation, including document related equipment and the provision of network and system services and solutions. The US Panasonic website is www.Panasonic.com
ABOUT JOIP:
joip, the newly formed consumer brand of deltathree, Inc., powers the VoIP® service of Panasonic’s Globarange hybrid phone. With joip, Globarange users get the best of VoIP® technology, with access to the world’s premier network for free peer-to-peer calling and premium services. Bridging the divide between conventional methods and innovative inroads, joip is committed to giving customers an optimal quality phone experience with the advanced features of VoIP® technology. The joip website is www.joip.com
ABOUT DELTATHREE:
Founded in 1996, deltathree, Inc. is a leading provider of integrated Voice over Internet Protocol telephony services, products, hosted solutions and infrastructure. Supporting hundreds of thousands of active users around the world, deltathree serves customers through its two primary distribution channels: the Service Provider / Reseller channel and the direct-to-consumer channel. Deltathree is the first company to be licensed by Panasonic to use the VoIP® registered trademark. The deltathree website is www.deltathree.com
Send an email to Max Newman of Panasonic
1 800 211 PANA
Keywords:
voip, Panasonic, deltathree
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