Vonage says Verizon patent case won't affect customers

ALEXANDRIA, Va (Reuters) - A Vonage Holdings Corp. lawyer told Reuters on Friday that the company was optimistic it could get an appeals court to overturn a patent infringement ruling in favor of Verizon Communications Inc. and reiterated that the case would not affect its customers.

Sharon O'Leary, Vonage's chief lawyer, said in an interview that she was "happy" that U.S. District Judge Claude Hilton is considering staying a permanent injunction that he said he planned to issue. The injunction bars Vonage from using some voice-over-Internet Protocol (VoIP) technologies that allow consumers to make calls over the Internet.