cyberspace base phone companionship Vonage say a opinion by the U.S. Supreme Court this hebdomad has give it new life in a crippling lawsuit with telecommunications giant Verizon .

Vonage on Tuesday expect the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington D.C. to vacate and remand a U.S. District Court ’s judgement and injunction against it in a patent of invention dispute with Verizon .

“ Vonage has ask the appeals royal court to send the conclusion back to the blue court of law to retry the invalidness case based on the Supreme Court ’s disclaimer of former rigid standard for determining when an invention is obvious to warrant patent protection , ” Vonage said in a command in response to requests for comment on the ruling fromInfoWorld .

On Monday , the U.S. Supreme Court prevail unanimously in favour of more rigorous standards for yield raw patents in a pillowcase brought by KDR International , a Canadian manufacturer , against Teleflex , which held a patent of invention for a sort of automobile gas pedal control .

The ruling was wide seen as a rebuke from the high tourist court to patent friendly rulings from depressed court that made it hard to pooh-pooh new letters patent applications on the grounds that they were merely “ obvious ” combination of survive technology .

Vonage say it was proud of with the high court ’s determination , which it said have in mind that “ the obviousness question should not be determined in a narrow-minded , set personal manner that denies common knowledge , but rather should integrate a more expansive and compromising approach that allows for circumstance of unwashed sense when assess whether an invention is ordinary or obvious , and thus ineligible for patent protection . ”

“ Vonage is confident this ruling should have a positive shock on its face , ” the ship’s company said .

In finical , Vonage debate in its brief on Tuesday that the validity of Verizon ’s name translation ( ‘ 574 and ‘ 711 ) and wireless ( ‘ 880 ) patents should be retried by the U.S. District Court in light of the U.S. Supreme Court ’s April 30 , 2007 decision .

“ We are very bucked up by the Supreme Court ’s determination and the giant footstep it represent towards achieve much - needed patent reform in this country , ” aver Jeffrey Citron , Vonage chairman and interim primary executive officeholder . “ The Supreme Court ’s decision should have positive significance for Vonage and our pending patent of invention judicial proceeding with Verizon . We are also hopeful that this showcase will protect legitimate pioneer and the value of their innovation , unlock the foundation appendage , and provide that companies are better able to deport business without the encumbrance of meritless ( sp ) letters patent claims . ”

Vonage has been fighting for its survival since June , 2006 , when Verizon file away a lawsuit in U.S. District Court lay claim infraction of voice over Internet Protocol ( VoIP ) patents Verizon claimed . In March , a jury ruled that Vonage had infringed on the Verizon patents and arrange the society to compensate $ 58 million in damages and royalties to Verizon . A judge slap Vonage with an injunction later that calendar month that barred the fellowship from signing up new client until the patent dispute was settle , though a lasting stay of that cease and desist order was granted in April until Vonage ’s appeal could be get a line .