Qwest Communications International Inc. and Ronald A. Katz Technology Licensing, L.P. Settle Patent Lawsuit and Enter into License Agreement

Business Wire, Dec 27, 2007

LOS ANGELES -- Qwest Communications International Inc. (NYSE: Q) and Ronald A. Katz Technology Licensing, L.P., headquartered in Los Angeles, announced today the settlement of patent litigation between the parties. As part of the settlement, Qwest has agreed to pay an undisclosed sum for a nonexclusive license under a comprehensive portfolio of patents that Katz owns relating to interactive voice applications.

The patents held by Ronald A. Katz Technology Licensing, L.P. cover a wide range of interactive technology including automated forms of: customer service, prescription refill services, securities trading, merchandising, prepaid services, telephone conferences, registration, home shopping, as well as functions involved in securing information from databases by telephone, interactive cable transactions, and various other uses of toll free and local numbers.

Ronald A. Katz stated, "We welcome Qwest to the group of leading telecommunications companies who have purchased a license under this portfolio."

There are over 200 companies with license rights under this portfolio, including over 25 energy and utility companies. Companies with license rights under this portfolio include: Advanta Corp., Alltel Corporation, American Century, American Express, Ameritrade Holding Corporation, Atmos Energy Corporation, Automatic Data Processing, Inc., AT&T Corp., Avon Products, Inc., Bank of America Corporation, BB&T Corporation, Capital One Services Inc., Certegy Inc., Countrywide Financial Corporation, Dell Inc., Delta Air Lines, Inc., Discover Financial Services, Edward D. Jones & Co., L.P., Equifax Inc., Express Scripts, First Data Corporation, The Gallup Organization, Hewlett-Packard Company, Hilton Hotels Corporation, Home Shopping Network Inc., Household International, Inc., HSBC Bank USA, ING North America Insurance Corp., International Business Machines (IBM), KeyCorp, LaSalle Bank Corporation, Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company, MCI Inc., Mellon Financial Corporation, Merck & Co., Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc., Metris Companies Inc., Microsoft, Morgan Stanley, Nationwide, OppenheimerFunds, Inc., People's Bank, The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc., Principal Financial Group, Inc., Prudential Financial, Inc., QVC, Inc., Safeway Inc., Sears, Roebuck and Co., Sprint Corporation, SouthTrust Bank, Sunoco, Inc., SUPERVALU INC., T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc., The Vanguard Group, Inc., Verizon California Inc. and its affiliates, Wachovia Corporation, Walgreen Co., Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., WellPoint, Inc., Wells Fargo & Company, West Corporation and Zions Bancorporation.

Mr. Katz is the named inventor on a large number of patents primarily in the fields of telecommunications and computing. He also formed Telecredit, Inc., the nation's first on-line real time credit and check cashing authorization system, and was awarded a patent as co-inventor of that technology.

Qwest offers a unique and powerful combination of voice and data solutions for businesses, government agencies and consumers - locally and throughout the country. Customers coast to coast are turning to Qwest's industry-leading national fiber optic network and it's Spirit of Service for quality products and superior customer experience. For more information on Qwest, and its various operating subsidiaries, please go to www.qwest.com.