Skype sued in US federal court for patent infringement

Internet video phone company Skype Inc was sued in US federal court on Thursday for infringing the patents of a Luxembourg company, which has filed similar lawsuits against Skype in Europe. The lawsuit in the District of Delaware comes a month after Microsoft Corp said it planned to buy Skype for $8.5 billion.                                           

The complaint by Via Vadis LLC centres on two patents for accessing and managing data in computer systems. It is seeking damages and wants the court to order Skype to stop infringing its technology. The company has already brought legal action against Skype in Germany and Luxembourg.                                           

The Luxembourg court issued a search order to gather evidence and inspect Skype's offices in Luxembourg, according to the complaint, although Skype has appealed and refused to share its source code. Skype said it did not comment on litigation.  The case is Via Vadis LLC v Skype Inc et al, US District Court, District of Delaware.