Leader - Press Releases

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Wall Street Manipulation of Judges, Politicians and Regulators Exposed by Leader v. Facebook Judicial Misconduct—America's Founding Fathers Weigh In

(Jan. 13, 2014) - Leader Technologies’ fight for justice in Leader v. Facebook is not only a fight on behalf of shareholders, but for every American who holds private property of any kind. Despite the fact that the U.S. Constitution specifically identifies private patent property as a right protected against government intrusion, the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals is attempting to unwind this 250 years of precedent. They are attempting to redefine patents not as private property overseen by Congress, but as a privilege bestowed by judges. In essence, the Federal Circuit—backed by deep pocket patent thieves—is attempting to usurp the authority of The People to govern themselves and protect their private property from government confiscation.

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Leader founder and CEO Michael McKibben's interview with Eva Tampere, Editor of EestiPäevaleht (Estonia Daily). This interview is his first public statement about Leader's patent infringement battle with Facebook.

(Pärnu, Estonia, Oct. 14, 2013) - Leader Technologies’ founder and CEO Michael McKibben talks to Eesti Päevaleht about the row with Facebook, and the security issues facing the Internet today. McKibben was a keynote speaker at one of Estonia's premier leadership conferences, Pärnu Conferences, on Oct. 10-11, 2013.

Leader founder Michael McKibben interviewed by KSCO AM 1080 on Georgia! He presents "just the facts" to listeners who were taken aback by the judicial and financial misconduct in Leader v. Facebook

Santa Cruz CA (Apr. 10, 2013) - Leader CEO Michael McKibben was interviewed for two hours today on KSCO AM 1080 Santa Cruz CA's Talk News Radio station about Leader v. Facebook. He spelled out the fact revealing substanial misconduct by judges and Facebook lawyers, and the apparent unwillingness of the federal legal system to protect American property and privacy rights.

Facebook advertisers are at risk of contributory infringement say media and insurance experts

Minneapolis (Apr. 11, 2013) - Three prominent consultants in social media advertising, technology and digital risk management say Facebook has left advertisers and users flopping in the wind regarding risk and liability. They say "Facebook and Fenwick & West may believe their legal tactics in Leader v. Facebook served their purposes, but their conduct dramatically increased the uncertainty and liability risks for their users and advertisers."

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Prominent Americans speak out for Leader Technologies in the Leader v. Facebook U.S. Supreme Court appeal Dec.. 6, 2012

Columbus (Dec. 6, 2012) - Twelve American leaders from across the political spectrum urge the Supreme Court to fix the denial of Leader's constitutional rights. On Jan. 4, 2013 the U.S. Supreme Court will meet to decide whether to hear Leader Technoloiges' appeal in Leader Technologies, Inc. v. Facebook, Inc., No. 12-617 (Supreme Court Nov. 16, 2012). Why should the average American care about this case? Perhaps the eminent American historian Professor Hy Berman, former political adviser to Vice President Hubert Humphrey, says it best:

“If intellectual property theft by the powerful and well-connected is not stopped, future innovation is jeopardized.”

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U.S. Supreme Court petitioned to hear Leader v. Facebook appeal Nov. 30, 2012

Columbus (Nov. 30, 2012) - On Nov. 16, 2012 Leader Technologies filed a "Petition for Writ Certiorari" with the U.S. Supreme Court in their patent infringement battle with Facebook. Such writs ask the court to review the decisions of lower courts for legal error. "The Federal Circuit's decision in our case was wrong both legally and ethically," said Leader CEO and inventor Michael McKibben. Legally, after Facebook's case fell apart, the court should have affirmed the verdict that Facebook literally infringes our patent on all 11 counts, or they should have referred the case back to the district court for more fact-finding," McKibben noted. "Instead, they secretly fabricated new arguments and evidence for Facebook without giving us a chance to defend ourselves against these new accuations." McKibben explained, "This is a fundamental violation of our Fifth and 14th Amendment right to due process which guarantees the right to confront one's accuser."

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| Full Supreme Court Petition

Leader Files Petition for Rehearing of Leader v. Facebook June 7, 2012

Columbus (June 7, 2012) - Attorneys for Leader Technologies filed a petition today for a rehearing of Leader Tech v. Facebook, Case No. 2011-1366 before the Federal Circuit. Leader argues that the Court allowed Facebook to use conflicting interpretations of verb tense to confuse and mislead the jury, resulting in a verdict that is contrary to numerous decisions of the US Supreme court and would dramatically undermine well-settled patent law. This case turns on the definition of "is".

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| Full Federal Circuit Petition

Leader Establishes Tip Line June 1, 2012

Columbus (June 1, 2012) - Leader has established a Tip Line at (419) 395-9150 where anonymous voice messages can be left with any information regarding inappropriate conduct in the Leader v. Facebook case, including knowledge of receipt of Leader’s source code by individuals involved with Facebook in the 2003 time frame, destruction of evidence, or attempts to influence judges and juries. Be sure to leave information about how you can be contacted, either directly or through a third party. Thank you.

Leader v. Facebook Federal Appeal Denied May 8, 2012

Columbus (May 8, 2012) - Today a Federal court denied the appeal of Leader Technologies in the Leader v. Facebook patent infringement case. "This is suspiciously convenient timing for Facebook, coming hours after the Facebook roadshow commenced in New York," said CEO Mike McKibben, referring to Facebook's IPO kickoff yesterday.

According to McKibben, a lower court held that Facebook violated Leader's patent on 11 of 11 claims, but then invalidated Leader's patent by finding that Leader had tried to sell its technology too soon ("on-sale bar," in legal parlance.)

Donna Kline Now! sheds media light on Leader vs. Facebook federal appeal Mar 4, 2012

Columbus (Mar 4, 2012) - With oral arguments scheduled for March 5, 2012 in Federal Appeals Court in the Leader Technologies vs. Facebook patent infringement case, Donna Kline, formerly of Bloomberg in New York and now writing for The Pittsburgh Business Report and her own blog - Donna Kline Now! investigates the timeline of Leader vs. Facebook and argues convincingly how Facebook's trickery confused the jury in the original trial.

Furthermore, her calls for media attention to this matter, especially in light of Facebook's intent to go public, have started to bear some fruit. Follow the link to her blog for stories on her news coverage on the Pittsburgh Business Report and other media outlets.

Transcript of the Federal Appeals arguments

Facebook Federal Appeals Fight Begins Jul 26, 2011

Columbus (July 26, 2011) - Yesterday Leader Technologies filed its opening brief in its patent infringement fight against Facebook at the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington D.C. Leader is represented by King & Spalding LLP and lead counsels Paul Andre, Lisa Kobialka, Daryl Joseffer and Adam Conrad. The nine-day jury trial in Delaware ended on July 27, 2010 with a split verdict.

At trial, Facebook was judged to be "literally infringing" Leader's U.S. Patent No. 7,139,761 on 11 of 11 claims, and the jury also found that the invention was not obvious over the published prior art. Put simply, this means that the software engine driving Facebook is Leader's invention.

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How To Choose an iPhone Audio Conferencing App May 15, 2011

Columbus (May 15, 2011) - Audio conferencing is one of those vital business services where looks can be deceiving. Most services use out-dated equipment with features that haven't improved in more than a decade or more.

More than a dozen services now offer iPhone apps, but most are little more than a web page tied to an ancient piece of equipment. The lure is often some form of "free conferencing." Many simply arbitrage local access numbers, essentially using participants' iPhones as roaming devices to find local numbers to avoid toll-free charges. While interesting, this approach has many moving parts and places the burden of connecting audio conferences on the users themselves. The hidden costs of these "free" minutes are incalculable.

Leader Launches the Leader Phone iPhone Audio Conferencing Application Jan. 13, 2011

Columbus (January 13, 2011) - Leader Phone Chairman & Founder Michael McKibben announced today the launch of the Leader Phone iPhone Audio Conferencing App, which he calls “the only app that offers multiple, cutting-edge audio conferencing features that turn your iPhone into a mobile conference calling center.“

Columbus, Ohio based Chepri Research has performed an exhaustive review and has rated Leader Phone's iPhone application Best-of-Class in their analysis of eleven iPhone apps. Full details are here.

The download is free from the App Store, and comes in both a Lite (free) version for casual users and a Pro version for "power users."

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Leader Files For Post-Trial Judgments in Leader v. Facebook Aug 25, 2010

Columbus (August 25, 2010) - Leader today filed a Judgment as a Matter of Law post-trial motion in its patent infringement lawsuit against Facebook - Leader v. Facebook.

Jury Provides Split Verdict in Leader® vs. Facebook Patent Infringement Trial Jul 29, 2010

Columbus (July 29, 2010) - Today Leader Technologies Incorporated announced the results of the Leader v. Facebook patent infringement trial, in which an eight-member jury in Wilmington, Delaware, returned a split verdict on Wednesday, July 28th.

The jury concluded that Facebook literally infringes all of the asserted claims of Leader's patent, and that the published prior art cited by Facebook did not anticipate or make obvious Leader's invention. Facebook had alleged numerous technologies that predated Leader's invention, but these were rejected by the decision.

New Leader Phone® Site Launched Dec 9, 2009

Columbus (December 9, 2010) - Leader Chairman Michael T. McKibben today announced the release of a new and improved Leader Phone® Audio Conferencing site at http://www.leaderphone.com.

“Traditional audio conferencing is expensive, old technology with few features,” McKibben said. “Leader Phone’s innovations offer easy-to-use features that improve a company’s productivity instead of dragging it down.” Leader Phone fixes the productivity problem with an array of flexible user-managed services like Star*1 direct dialing and Quick Call blast dialing. These features enable you to get people on the phone immediately, without having to drudge through the current cumbersome method of going offline, calling someone, giving them the dial in number and PIN, then both of you re-entering a live call. Another special feature is the powerful web console that creates new PINs, manages calls with special privacy needs, and allows the user to manage his own account.

Ohio Consumers' Counsel partners with Leader Technologies to provide Web 2.0 voice mail services to Ohioans in the 419 area code Jul 21, 2009

Columbus (July 21, 2009) - Leader Chairman Michael T. McKibben today announced the release of a new and improved Leader Phone® Audio Conferencing site at http://www.leaderphone.com.

“Traditional audio conferencing is expensive, old technology with few features,” McKibben said. “Leader Phone’s innovations offer easy-to-use features that improve a company’s productivity instead of dragging it down.” Leader Phone fixes the productivity problem with an array of flexible user-managed services like Star*1 direct dialing and Quick Call blast dialing. These features enable you to get people on the phone immediately, without having to drudge through the current cumbersome method of going offline, calling someone, giving them the dial in number and PIN, then both of you re-entering a live call. Another special feature is the powerful web console that creates new PINs, manages calls with special privacy needs, and allows the user to manage his own account.

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Leader Responds to Ohio Department of Development Feb 10, 2009

Columbus (February 10, 2009) - After no less than three settlement agreements reached, then broken by Ohio Department of Development (ODOD) petty bureacrats, Leader finally loses patience with ODOD strong-arm tactics and goes public with its complaints in a blog newly published and accessbile here.

Leader sues Facebook for patent infringement Nov 19, 2008

Columbus (November 19, 2008) - Leader Technologies Incorporated of Columbus, Ohio, announced today that it has filed a patent infringement lawsuit* against the social networking company, Facebook, Inc. of Palo Alto, California. The complaint was filed in the United States District Court for the District of Delaware and alleges that Facebook infringes Leader’s U.S. Patent No. 7,139,761 issued by the United States Patent and Trademark Office on November 21, 2006. The ’761 Patent generally relates to a method and system for the management and storage of electronic information. Leader seeks damages and an injunction against Facebook for its willful infringement of the ’761 Patent.
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* Leader Technologies Inc. v. Facebook Inc., 08-CV-862-JJF - U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware.

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Roseville Minnesota School District Applauds Alerting System Nov 6, 2008

Columbus November 6, 2008 - After using its health and safety alerting system for nine months, Roseville Area Schools, a prominent Minnesota school district comprising more than 6,400 students, has declared Leader Alert® to be a key communications tool for connecting parents, says Leader Technologies Chairman Mike McKibben. Karen Schaub, Director of Community Education and Public Relations for Roseville Area Schools, described how the district utilized the product in a tense situation. "Our middle school used Leader Alert to quickly notify parents of a precautionary lock-down which was put in place to diffuse a potential confrontation by students from another school." Leader Chairman Mike McKibben credits the leadership of Leader's Minnesota-based sales affiliate, Tyda, with establishing this relationship with the Roseville Area Schools.

Leader Phone® Call Summary emails now delivered in real time Nov 6, 2008

Columbus (November 6, 2008) - On Nov. 4, 2008, Leader Phone® customers began receiving Call Summary emails at the end of each audio conference call. The Web 2.0 Call History online also contains this information, but customers have asked to also get this report via email. The Call Summary provides an immediate record of the telephone number for each person who participated in the audio conference and how long each person was on the call, as well as other account management information. Customers likethis feature because it allows them to immediately print out the report and place it in their files with other information and notes about the call. Customers also find this feature useful for referencing phone numbers quickly. The Call Summary emails also include a one-line features section that will contain productivity and cost reduction suggestions.

Central State University chooses Leader Alert® Oct 20, 2008

Columbus (October 20, 2008) - Central State University president John W. Garland announced today that the school has chosen Leader Alert®, a health and safety alerting product, for use at its Wilberforce and Dayton, Ohio campuses of more than 2,100 students. According to Garland: “This decision underlines our commitment to our students’ safety in emergency situations.” Garland says: “Central State believes that Leader Alert offers peace of mind to parents and students – we know that parents want to be sure that the university is taking all reasonable precautions in emergency situations, and we will now be able to contact all of our students and faculty and staff within minutes.”

Get Green with Leader Phone® Web 2.0 Audio Conferencing July 21, 2008

Higher quality and more features at less cost… and it’s green

Columbus (July 21, 2008) - Leader Technologies® announced today its Get Green initiative, which will implement special programs with green non-profits to reduce communication costs and reduce the carbon footprint of participating companies simultaneously.

Chairman Mike McKibben points to Leader Phone audio conferencing as an obvious way for companies to “get greener.” “Our Web 2.0 innovations in phone conferencing have greatly improved calling quality and service while reducing cost.

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Mansfield, Ohio City Schools implement Leader Alert® system-wide Jun 25, 2008

School district offers enhanced security to stakeholders with Leader Alert's opt-in web portal

Columbus (June 25, 2008) - Lloyd D. Martin, superintendent of Mansfield, Ohio City Schools, announced today that the school disctrict has chosen Leader Alert®, a health and safety alerting product, for use in its school district of 4700 students.

Leader Alert, the creation of Leader Technologies of Columbus, Ohio, makes it possible for a school to quickly and simultaneously alert thousands of parents and staff by telephone, texting, and email in case of emergencies ranging from lurking predators to snow days.

Columbus Regional Airport Authority Enhances Emergency Communications Jun 6, 2008

Westerville-based Leader Technologies® will provide its innovative Leader Alert® system

Columbus (June 6, 2008) - The Columbus Regional Airport Authority (CRAA) announced today it will use Westerville-based Leader Technologies’ innovative Leader Alert® system to enhance airport security and make possible the simultaneous alerting of all key personnel in case of an emergency.

According to Public Safety Director Richard Morgan, the Airport Authority saw Leader Alert’s unique Web 2.0 alerting capabilities as a key component in meeting the security needs for Port Columbus, Rickenbacker and Bolton Field airports. CRAA conducted months of testing in various conditions and security scenarios before making its decision.

Ohio School Boards Association announces Leader Alert® endorsement Apr 28, 2008

Ohio School Boards Association endorses Leader Alert® for its 700 + member districts

Columbus (April 28, 2008) - The Ohio School Boards Association announced today its endorsement of Leader Alert, a health and safety alerting product, for the more than 700 Ohio public school districts that comprise its membership. Leader Alert, the creation of Leader Technologies of Columbus, Ohio, makes it possible for a school to quickly and simultaneously alert thousands of parents and staff by telephone, texting, and email in case of emergencies ranging from lurking predators to snow days.

See the June 2008 issue of OSBA Journal for the OSBA: Working for you article by Amanda Levy entitled "When seconds count, count on Leader Alert", or view the article here>> OSBA Journal Reprint

Leader Alert® Supports Shawnee State University Safety Lockdown Feb 7, 2008

Leader Alert® quickly notified over 3500 SSU students, faculty and staff

Columbus (February 7, 2008) - When the community of Portsmouth, Ohio learned on February 7th that a fifth-grade teacher at Notre Dame Elementary School had been attacked in the classroom in front of her horrified students, they did not know at first whether it was an isolated incident or part of a larger threat. But Portsmouth-based Shawnee State University was prepared. Their Emergency Response Team used Leader Alert® to issue an emergency message that was received within minutes by all 3549 students, faculty, and staff.

Leader supports suburban Cleveland middle school safety lockdown Apr 27, 2007

Leader Alert® quickly notified 700 Parma City Schools parents, prevented panic

Parma, Ohio (April 27 , 2007) – An April 18 lockdown at Greenbriar Middle School in Parma, Ohio ended calmly when a 59-year old woman carrying a knife was quickly disarmed in the school’s entrance airlock, police were called, and school officials used an Ohio company’s product, Leader Alert®, to send a 40-second voice alert to the phones of 700 parents of students within minutes of the incident, avoiding a school closure and allowing classes to continue.

Leader issues White Paper: "The Future of Campus Alerting" Apr 20, 2007

Columbus (April 20, 2007) - "The tragedy at Viriginia Tech University on April 17, 2007 has school administrators across the nation looking for better ways to notify students, faculty, staff and even worried parents, friends, relatives and alumni about threatening situations. Security experts believe that timely notices to students and faculty, warning of a possible gunman on campus, might have lessened or even prevented the loss of life that followed.

Hindsight is 20-20. No one knows for sure whether any kind of alert could have prevented the scope of this tragedy. A lone, crazed gunman with no previous history of violence is impossible to predict. However, we owe it to the memories of the students and professors whose lives were lost to try and make sense out of the lessons learned, so that future lives may be spared the suffering so needlessly inflicted upon so many."

Leader issued U.S. Patent for Digital Leaderboard™ communication engine Nov 17, 2006

Columbus (November 17, 2006) - Leader Technologies has been issued a patent by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for its Digital Leaderboard™ Web 2.0, unified communications technology, the core technology that drives its suite of voice, video and data collaboration products and services.

"Ten years ago I anticipated that the Internet would become the primary way people and enterprises would collaborate on a massive scale," said Michael T. McKibben, chairman and founder of Leader, and inventor of the Digital Leaderboard™ technology. "The granting of this patent validates our vision, leadership, perseverance and it protects our valuable intellectual property."

| Chairman's Blog

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Leader teams with Multi-Sector Crisis Management Consortium (MSCMC) Nov 13, 2006

Columbus (November 13, 2006) - Leader Technologies has teamed with the Multi-Sector Crisis Management Consortium (MSCMC) headquarted in Washington D.C. to provide communication and collaboration services nationally and internationally. MSCMC is closely affiliated with the National Center for Supercomputing Applications headquartered at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign - Go to the Leader Chairman's blog to get more information and to access a link to Bird Flu - What to do by Verona Fonte, Ph.D. - a timely threat mitigation resource.

Chairman's Blog

Leader hosts former White House security advisor Oct 26, 2006

Columbus (October 26, 2006) - Leader Technologies hosted William (Bill) DeGenaro, a former security advisor to the White House during the Reagan and Bush (Sr.) administrations. After his service at the White House he was Director of Strategy & Innovation at 3M. DeGenaro focused his training on innovations and how to protect shareholder value.

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Leader assists Louisiana Governor's Office following Hurricane Katrina Sep 2, 2005

Columbus (September 2, 2005) - Leader Technologies responded to an urgent call Tuesday, Aug. 30, from Louisiana officials following Hurricane Katrina to provide critical telecommunications services. LeaderPhone® was deployed immediately, linking the governor with dozens of federal, state and local disaster recovery officials, said Mike McKibben, Chairman and founder of Leader.

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Leader hosts The Ohio Homeland Security Initiative at The Ohio State University. Dec 13, 2004

Columbus (December 13, 2004) - Leader helped bring together experts from government, academia and industry into a think-tank forum. The forum focused on state and local first responder "command and control" solutions that can be implemented now to help overcome the lack of communications and control that hinders disaster response and costs lives. Participating companies and organizations included General Dynamics, Cardinal Health, McDonald's, Sprint, Nextel, Bricker & Eckler, City of Columbus Department of Public Safety, WOSU-TV, The Ohio State University, Center for Strategic Management, Tibco, The National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians and a number of other core technology providers.

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| Pre-meeting Press Release

Leader Phone® chosen by Kansas as exclusive conference call provider. Nov 24, 2004

Columbus (November 24, 2004) - The State of Kansas has signed a contract with LeaderPhone® to provide audio conference calling services to all state agencies, slashing the cost in half over the previous carrier.

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State of Wyoming chooses Leader Phone ® conference calling services. May 10, 2004

Columbus (May 10, 2004) - The State of Wyoming has entered into contract with Leader to expand its use of LeaderPhone Teleconferencing Services to 38 state agencies. More are planned. Jonathan Downing, Policy Analyst for the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services says, “Our employees and business partners have been very pleased with Leader’s services. They have resulted in a significant cost savings for our programs. At a time when we are faced with limited resources, Leader’s advanced and on-demand technologies have assisted us with maintaining a competitive edge in the provision of teleconferencing services to a state covering 97,813 square miles.”

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Leader played key part in Terrorex 04 Homeland Security simulation. Jan 7-11, 2004

Columbus (January 7-11, 2004) - Terrorex 2004 was a high-level Homeland Security conference among experts from commerce, industry, education, and government at the federal, state and local levels who are preparing the United States and its allies against terrorist attacks. It is believed to be the largest interagency anti-terrorism drill ever conducted. Leader Alert™, Leader Phone®, Leader2Leader®, Leader Meeting® and Leader Smart Camera™ provided audio and video communications and allowed agencies involved to collaborate online to react and respond to terrorist threat simulations.

Columbus Business First Cover Story: "Angels' Eyes Jun 6, 2003

Columbus (June 6, 2003) - In shadow of big VC deals, small investors keep entrepreneurs supplied with capital" -- Mike McKibben has spent the last six years taking his Westerville-based company through an intensive research-and-development phase.

Leader awarded 2003 Tier I Ohio Award for Excellence May 23, 2003

Columbus (May 23, 2003) - Business First, May 14, "Several Central Ohio businesses and organizations have received Ohio Awards of Excellence. The awards, endorsed by Gov. Bob Taft [and modeled after the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award], recognize best practices..." Business First

Leader Selects DataPower to Accelerate Conference Calling Feb 7, 2003

Columbus (February 7, 2003) - LeaderPhone®, our reservationless, web-enabled audio conference calling service, is now more responsive to users with the addition of XML acceleration technology provided by DataPower Technology, Inc.

C|Net

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eWeek Reviews LeaderPhone® Jan 13, 2003

Columbus (January 13, 2003) - LeaderPhone® press coverage - "LeaderPhone Allows Law Firm To Control, Monitor Calls, Helps Reduce Cost"