VoIP-Pal.com Inc. (“VoIP-Pal,” “Company”) (OTCQB: VPLM) has filed an antitrust lawsuit (Case No. 1:24-cv-02395) against telecommunications giants AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and Deutsche Telekom in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. A parallel and independent class action lawsuit (Case No. 1:24-cv-02397) representing 373 million American smartphone subscribers has also been filed against the same defendants.

Both lawsuits allege violations of key sections of U.S. antitrust law: Sherman Act Sections 1 and 2, and Clayton Act Sections 3, 4, and 7. These filings accuse the telecom giants of engaging in anticompetitive practices that restrict competition and harm consumers.

“This lawsuit represents an important step in our effort to promote fairness and competition in the telecommunications market,” said VoIP-Pal CEO Emil Malak. “We believe these companies have used their market position to limit choices and increase costs for consumers. Our goal is to challenge these practices and help ensure a more equitable market for everyone. We are not going anywhere! Patience is a virtue.”

The legal actions have been filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, the same venue that presided over landmark antitrust cases like United States v. Microsoft Corp. and the recently decided United States v. Google LLC. The Google and Microsoft cases addressed violations under Sherman Act Sections 1 and 2, focusing on market dominance and exclusionary practices. Similarly, the VoIP-Pal and class action lawsuits also cite Sherman Act Sections 1 and 2 but go further by alleging additional violations under Clayton Act Sections 3, 4, and 7, covering a broader scope of anticompetitive behavior.

The class action lawsuit, while independent of VoIP-Pal’s antitrust suit, shares a common objective: to hold these telecom giants accountable for their harmful conduct. To ensure both lawsuits are adequately funded, VoIP-Pal and the plaintiffs in the class action have entered into a third-party litigation funding agreement, subject to court approval. This collaboration allows VoIP-Pal to cover all legal fees and ongoing expenses for the class action while maintaining the independence of the cases.

Both cases underscore the pervasive nature of the alleged antitrust violations, drawing parallels with significant legal battles that have shaped the landscape of U.S. antitrust law. By expanding the claims to include violations under the Clayton Act, these lawsuits emphasize the broad impact of the telecom defendants’ conduct on consumers and market competition.

This antitrust case is separate from the patent litigation cases the Company is litigating in the Western District of Texas, asserting the RBR ‘815, ‘005, and ‘606 patents and the Mobile Gateway patents. Updates on those cases will be forthcoming soon.

As of the latest trading session, the closing prices for each company’s stock were as follows: AT&T at $19.49, Verizon at $40.85, T-Mobile at $196.22, and VoIP-Pal $.0128.

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