Ring Plus Files Summary Judgment Motion of Patent Infringement Against AT&T

Business Wire, Jan 5, 2008

LOS ANGELES -- On Monday the 24th of December, the day after Ring Plus filed its motion to disqualify AT&T attorneys from the law firm of Baker Botts, Ring Plus filed a Sealed Motion of Summary Judgment of Infringement asking the Court to make a ruling based on undisputed facts.

Ring Plus, based in Longview, Texas, is the holder of U.S. patent No. 7,006,608, invented by Karl Seelig et al. and granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office on February 28, 2006. This patent claims a software-based algorithm for operation of a telephone system in which a generated sound presentation can replace or overlay a ring-back signal normally heard in a caller's telephone until such time as a recipient of a telephone call answers (otherwise known as a ring-back tone or "RBT"). AT&T offers Answer Tones Service which is described by AT&T as a way to "Save your friends from having to listen to that plain old ring when they call you. Answer Tones let your friends enjoy cool music before you answer your phone." The value of RBT replacement technology is globally USD 2.7 Billion and increasing. Ring Plus filed its lawsuit for patent infringement on April 14, 2006. According to Technology Law 360, Cingular started selling Answer Tones ring back services on its website for USD .99 per month in 2005. AT&T's website is currently offering Answer Tones for USD 1.99 a download, plus a monthly subscription rate of USD .99.

The case number is 2:06-cv-0159

The Attorneys representing Cingular Wireless LLC, AT&T wireless services Inc. are: Larry Carlson, Doug Kubehl, David Taylor, Michael Jones, and Diane DeVasto.

The Attorneys representing Ring Plus are: Frederic M. Douglas, Jerry L. Mowery, Timothy Midgley, Sang Dang, and George Fountain

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