Finnigan USA provides expert consulting services for patent and trademark licensing and enforcement programs. FUSA has served telecommunications and voice technology companies worldwide for over 30 years. Founder Paul Finnigan is the named inventor of numerous U.S. and international patents relating to voicemail messaging, network services and Internet based telephony. The enhanced features embodied in these patents have seen rapid adoption by service providers and subscribers for use with personal computers, tablets and smart phones.
Paul Finnigan's experience as a specialist in computer technology and application development spans more than 50 years and included management consulting careers with SRI International and McKinsey and Company and the founding of several technology companies. Principal partner Suzanne Ely is a graduate of MIT - Sloan School of Management and formerly a research analyst with Probe Research Inc., authoring numberous reports relating to the voice services industry.
Finnigan served as President of Microform Medical Inc., developing and marketing medical information systems used by hospitals and clinical laboratories worldwide which in the mid '70s employed voice technology to deliver patient reports to physicians by telephone.
Finnigan was Founder and Chairman of “Voicemail®” International, which in 1980 introduced the first nationwide "voicemail®" service in the U. S.. VMI's proprietary technology became the industry standard for design and performance with service providers and public telephone companies throughout the U.S., Europe, Scandinavia and the Pacific Rim, eventually licensingb 35 centers in 14 countries. VMI pioneered numerous interactive voice response (IVR) applications became global standards for automated voice communications used by major airlines, financial institutions, broadcasters and many others. VMI's trademark is remains today as the generic term used worldwide for referencing voice messaging and IVR services.
Finnigan was co-founder of the International Voicemail Association and served as President from 1997 to 2000. Finnigan USA managed VMA' voicemail conferences attended by hundreds of service providers and equipment vendors worldwide. The VMA is credited with providing a platform for exchanging applications for exploiting the opportunities for enhanced voice services and the creation and adoption of industry standards by international standards bodies both of which were instrumental in bringing about the proliferation of worldwide voicemail services.
In 1999 Finnigan was a co-founder of NetNumber Inc., providing the core technology for enhanced communications services now used by wireless operators worldwide. Finnigan served on NetNumber's Board of Directors until 2001 and FUSA retains a significant ownership position in the company.
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