If you hear shouts of "FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!" from the IP technology set in the coming months there's a good chance they are watching the unfolding intellectual property punch-up that is underway between Genband Inc. and Metaswitch Networks .

Genband just won Round 1 on points. A jury has decided that technology used in Metaswitch products such as session border controllers, softswitches and media gateways infringes seven Genband patents related to VoIP technology. As a result, Genband has been awarded $8.1 million in damages (which should just about cover the legal team's lunch expenses, right?). (See Genband Wins Court Ruling Against Metaswitch.)

Figure 1:

Metaswitch has not thrown in the towel, of course. It's bouncing off the ropes and aiming to retaliate with a sucker punch. The vendor's CEO Martin Lund issued a statement noting that his company will challenge the verdict (and potentially appeal). In addition, he noted that Metaswitch has a patent infringement suit filed against Genband and that the resulting court proceedings are due to begin on March 14 of this year. (See Metaswitch's New CEO Martin Lund Discusses His Role.)

The only winners? As ever, it will be the lawyers.

— Ray Le Maistre, , Editor-in-Chief, Light Reading