Titans Clash over Speech Patent

This past Monday, two giants clashed over intellectual property rights. Cable and long-distance behemoth AT&T alleges that the world's largest software company infringed on its patent for a voice compression algorithm. AT&T engineered a technology which isolates and encodes speech, allowing for more efficient file transfer rates and an optimized use of storage space. According to the United States Patent and Trademark Office, AT&T was issued a patent on January 19, 1988. Microsoft first incorporated the technology into Windows 95 and has continued to do so with each subsequent release of Windows.

First reported by Reuters, AT&T informed Microsoft of the alleged infringement in April of 1999, and offered to license the technology to Microsoft. The software giant refused AT&T's offer, triggering a legal response. The lawsuit states "AT&T has been, and will continue to be, damaged and irreparably harmed by Microsoft's infringement, which will continue unless Microsoft is enjoined by this court."

Microsoft has also recently been cited for patent infringement in another suit. Earlier this year, a little-known California company named InterTrust accused the Redmond giant of violating its patents for protecting digital media from theft and copyright infringement. In this latest case, AT&T is seeking unspecified damages and a reimbursement for legal fees incurred in the courtroom.