Hi Gastric,
I asked myself the sames questions when I was looking at VPLM. Basic due diligence I guess :) This is conclusions I came too, partially based on experience in telecom, and partially a bunch of assumptions that may come back to bit me later.
Does VPLM does not own the mother patent of all VoIP?
What excited me about the patents was the fact that they are a defined method that included not just Routing; but Billing and Rating methods too. The other patents all use similar processes and features so its more of suite that address key area of telecom. are they the mother of all VoIP Patents, I think collectively they are strong. If VPLM wins ALICE then I will upgrade my opinion :)
"assuming VPLM's patents even survive PTAB, and also survive ALICE, they still have a long, long way to go... "
I agree and disagree; If VPLM wins ALICE then they then have to go to court for settlement. Even if they win, Apple will appeal, and if they loose again, try many other tactics to negate paying compensation. BUT; if VPLM wins ALICE, then I suspect that other industry heavy weights may be interested in acquiring or supporting VPLM in the case.
BTW: Of the 151 Patents that you shared, I scanned the first 60 patents but found none that pre-dated or appeared to be similar. I will keep scanning.
"However, as seen in their court filings they don't have any idea what specific products are using their IP."
I don't know about the truth of this and would like to add one more questions (if there are any legal experts reading)
when Apple chose to deny the validity of the patents, it seemed like they were not contesting infringement claims - just if the patents valid. So, does this mean that if VPLM patents are found to be valid that Apple is by default automatically infringing? I suspect the answer is more convoluted - but, would like to know.
Thanks for your questions - I do not know if my answers/opinions help answer you at all, but your persistent questioning does help me focus my due diligence!.
