04 December 2007

Klausner Technologies has filed a $360 million suit against Apple and AT&T over voicemail patents that the company claims the iPhone infringes.

New York-based Klausner says the lawsuit also names Comcast, Cablevision Systems and Ebay's Skype as infringing its patent for "visual voicemail". The plaintiff seeks an additional $300 million from the three.

The iPhone's visual voicemail is just one of the standout features of the handset, which has won critical acclaim and huge sales success in the US, although appears to be struggling to repeat that feat in the UK.

Klausner has filed the lawsuit in a US Court for the Eastern District of Texas. The suit alleges the defendants' internet-based voicemail products and services violate a Klausner patent.