Cisco: All your networks belong to us

Here's one of the worst patent decisions of all time: Cisco owns a patent on the concept of the triple-play network that combines voice, video, and data. Does this mean that telcos and cable companies have to pay Cisco millions of dollars?

Light Reading reports that Patent 7075919, which Cisco managed to snag earlier this year, owns the patent for any "system and method for providing integrated voice, video and data to customer premises over a single network."

Sounds absurd, doesn't it? But it's all there in black and white. Here's a basic description that Light Reading excerpted from the patent itself:

"Rather than attempting to converge the incompatible architectures, protocols, and other characteristics of the various existing voice, video and data network infrastructures, the present invention provides a single fully interoperable network that uses a common standard protocol, such as TCP/IP, to provide integrated voice, video, and data content to customer premises over a single communication link. Since all services are provided to the customer premises using a single network infrastructure, problems associated with delivering incompatible services to the customer premises are eliminated. The single network infrastructure of the present invention also allows for enhanced troubleshooting, fault-tolerance, access restriction, and other important benefits."

That pretty much describes your garden variety triple play network, doesn't it? No wiggle room there.

Given that every cable company, telco, and service provider on the planet is building triple-play networks to deliver services to consumers, in theory Cisco could get big bucks from all of them. Those fees would ultimately be passed on to you and other consumers.

No word yet on whether Cisco plans to hold the feet of all those folks to the fire. But don't be surprised to see it happen.