Invention of Voice-mail Controversy
Many contributed to the creation of the modern-day voice-mail. Legal battles ensued for decades.Dexter Hutchins (October 28, 1985). The Legal Battles Over Voice Messaging: A young inventor from Florida says the technology is his. So does a small company in Texas. Both have sued to protect it.. FORTUNE. http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/1985/10/28/66509/. The true first inventor of voice-mail, patent number 4,124,773 (Audio Storage and Distribution System), is Elkins. United States Patent: 4124773. United States Patent and Trademark Office. http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PALL&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsrchnum.htm&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=4124773.PN.&OS=PN/4124773&RS=PN/4124773. "Though Elkins received a patent in 1978, telecommunications giants began offering voice mail without paying Elkins a penny in royalties." Mimi Whitefield (February 5, 1996). How to Survive the Road from Invention to Marketplace. The Miami Herald. http://www.inventone.com/articles/survive_herald.asp. "Elkins never expected to spend 10 years of his life battling some of the world's largest corporations, either. But once he patented his system, he figured he should protect it."Viki McCash (August 7, 1995). Inventor Battles to Protect Patents. Sun Sentinel. http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1995-08-07/business/9508030727_1_elkins-points-soul-saxophonist-lasers-cost. Later, Elkins successfully licensed his patented technology to IBM, DEC, WANG, among many others.
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