Apple, AT&T sued over iPhone visual voice mail

Apple and AT&T have been sued for patent infringement over the iPhone’s visual voice mail feature and are being asked for $360 million in damages and future royalties. The lawsuit was filed by a company called Klausner Technologies, who claims that the iPhone violates their intellectual property rights by allowing users to selectively retrieve voice messages via the iPhone’s inbox display.

Unlike a few absurd iPhone lawsuits filed since the device made its debut in June, Apple might have to take this one a bit more seriously. Klausner has already successfully sued AOL and Vonage over the same patents, reaching licensing agreements with both in the past year. Also, Apple once licensed some of Klausner’s intellectual property for use in the Newton.

Other companies slapped with similar suits include Skype, Comcast and Cablevision Systems. Klausner is asking for $300 million in damages from each company.