Nextel follows through on Verizon suit
Just as we
reported late last week, Nextel has filed suit against rival Verizon. The case stems of Verizon's brash use of "Push-To-Talk" to describe its new walkie-talkie like service.
Verizon claims that the phrase "Push-To-Talk" is common enough to be in the public domain, despite the fact that Nextel has a patent with the term on it. Verizon also said that the phrase has been around since the 1940's, and was in now way coined by Nextel.
This is going to be an interesting case to follow. If Verizon is forced to give up the term, it will be hard to market the service. Imagine a customer saying, "Do you offer push-to-talk?". Legally a Verizon rep would have to say "No, but we do offer a system that offers direct connections nationwide. Just press one button and you're talking."
