SAN FRANCISCO – March 11, 2020 – Global law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP (GT) earned a trial victory in a Sherman Act case in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California on behalf of clients Virtual Hold Technology LLC, VHT StarStar LLC, and Zoove Corp.
The case involved StarStar (**) numbers, a shorthand method of making phone calls from mobile devices that was developed in the mid-2000s by GT client Zoove. After Zoove was purchased by Virtual Hold Technology and its subisidiary VHT StarStar in late 2015, it terminated certain contracts with plaintiff Sumotext Corp., a ** number reseller. Sumotext sued, claiming that the buyers conspired with another reseller, StarSteve LLC, to restrain trade and monopolize the market for ** number leasing and servicing.
But after a two-week trial before Judge Beth Labson Freeman, an eight-person jury sided with Greenberg Traurig’s clients on all counts, ruling that Sumotext had failed to establish relevant antitrust markets for ** number leasing and servicing.
“We were honored to represent Zoove and its new owners in this significant case,” said Shareholder David S. Bloch, who led Greenberg Traurig’s trial team.
In addition to Bloch, the multi-office Greenberg Traurig team included Shareholder Lisa Li (San Francisco), Of Counsel Michael R. Hogue (San Francisco), Associate Kyle L. Flynn (Chicago), paralegals Dennis Meraz and Jay Sutton, and logistician Andrew Bell.
About Greenberg Traurig’s Intellectual Property & Technology Practice: With more than 200 intellectual property attorneys and agents in the United States, Asia, and Europe, Greenberg Traurig provides a broad range of patent, trademark and copyright protection and strategic counseling. Greenberg Traurig was named “Law Firm of the Year” for Trademark Law and a “National Tier 1” Law Firm for IP Litigation, Patent Law and Litigation, Copyright Law, and Technology Law by U.S. News and Best Lawyers, 2020 “Best Law Firms."
About Greenberg Traurig’s Litigation Practice: Greenberg Traurig’s Litigation Practice includes a team of more than 600 attorneys. The firm’s trial lawyers regularly appear in state and federal courts throughout the country, as well as in appellate courts and before international arbitration panels. They work closely with in-house counsel to develop a strategy that best fits a litigation cost and proficiency model appropriate to the client’s unique needs and goals.
About Greenberg Traurig, LLP: Greenberg Traurig, LLP (GT) has more than 2,200 attorneys in 41 offices in the United States, Latin America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. GT has been recognized for its philanthropic giving, diversity, and innovation, and is consistently among the largest firms in the U.S. on the Law360 400 and among the Top 20 on the Am Law Global 100. Web: http://www.gtlaw.com Twitter: @GT_Law.
The case involved StarStar (**) numbers, a shorthand method of making phone calls from mobile devices that was developed in the mid-2000s by GT client Zoove. After Zoove was purchased by Virtual Hold Technology and its subisidiary VHT StarStar in late 2015, it terminated certain contracts with plaintiff Sumotext Corp., a ** number reseller. Sumotext sued, claiming that the buyers conspired with another reseller, StarSteve LLC, to restrain trade and monopolize the market for ** number leasing and servicing.
But after a two-week trial before Judge Beth Labson Freeman, an eight-person jury sided with Greenberg Traurig’s clients on all counts, ruling that Sumotext had failed to establish relevant antitrust markets for ** number leasing and servicing.
“We were honored to represent Zoove and its new owners in this significant case,” said Shareholder David S. Bloch, who led Greenberg Traurig’s trial team.
In addition to Bloch, the multi-office Greenberg Traurig team included Shareholder Lisa Li (San Francisco), Of Counsel Michael R. Hogue (San Francisco), Associate Kyle L. Flynn (Chicago), paralegals Dennis Meraz and Jay Sutton, and logistician Andrew Bell.
About Greenberg Traurig’s Intellectual Property & Technology Practice: With more than 200 intellectual property attorneys and agents in the United States, Asia, and Europe, Greenberg Traurig provides a broad range of patent, trademark and copyright protection and strategic counseling. Greenberg Traurig was named “Law Firm of the Year” for Trademark Law and a “National Tier 1” Law Firm for IP Litigation, Patent Law and Litigation, Copyright Law, and Technology Law by U.S. News and Best Lawyers, 2020 “Best Law Firms."
About Greenberg Traurig’s Litigation Practice: Greenberg Traurig’s Litigation Practice includes a team of more than 600 attorneys. The firm’s trial lawyers regularly appear in state and federal courts throughout the country, as well as in appellate courts and before international arbitration panels. They work closely with in-house counsel to develop a strategy that best fits a litigation cost and proficiency model appropriate to the client’s unique needs and goals.
About Greenberg Traurig, LLP: Greenberg Traurig, LLP (GT) has more than 2,200 attorneys in 41 offices in the United States, Latin America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. GT has been recognized for its philanthropic giving, diversity, and innovation, and is consistently among the largest firms in the U.S. on the Law360 400 and among the Top 20 on the Am Law Global 100. Web: http://www.gtlaw.com Twitter: @GT_Law.