Los Angeles - Apple (NASD: AAPL) has filed a patent application on a universal interface for real-time text chat on touchscreen devices, which could result in the release of a chat application for the iPhone or iPod touch, Apple Insider reported. The application was published in March by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. The iPhone already offers standard mobile text messaging, while AOL has developed a version of its AIM application for the device.

Los Angeles - Gemstar-TV Guide International (NASD: GMST), a provider of electronic program guides for digital TV services, announced on Tuesday that it has expanded its relationship with digital video recorder firm TiVo (NASD: TIVO). Under the terms, the companies entered into a new patent license agreement for retail products and certain service provider deployments of the TiVo service in international markets. "International interest in TiVo is at an all time high as retailers and service providers globally seek to deliver the TiVo service as a way to differentiate their video products," said Joshua Danovitz, VP and GM of International at TiVo.

Los Angeles - Gemstar-TV Guide International (NASD: GMST) said on Monday that set-top box manufacturer Humax has signed a license agreement allowing the company to use Gemstar's interactive program guides in set-top boxes distributed throughout Europe. The license also extends to digital televisions and digital recording devices made by Humax.

Tokyo - The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) has launched an investigation into potential patent infringements of Sony (NYSE: SNE) Blu-ray Disc players and the products of some 30 other companies, based on a complaint from a Columbia University professor, Reuters reported.

Nashville, Tenn. - Guitar manufacturer Gibson has filed a second patent infringement lawsuit over guitar-replica controllers used in the video games "Guitar Hero" and "Rock Band," this time suing "Rock Band" makers Harmonix, Viacom's (NYSE: VIA) MTV Networks and Electronic Arts (NASD: ERTS). Gibson also last week filed suit against a number of retailers, including Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT), for selling Activision's (NASD: ATVI) "Guitar Hero" in violation of its 1999 patent.

Alviso, Calif. - TiVo (NASD: TIVO) said on Thursday that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has upheld its claim that rival EchoStar (NASD: DISH), operator of the DISH Network satellite TV service, was infringing on one of its digital video recorder patents, and must pay $74 million in damages, now $94 million with accrued interest.

Los Angeles - Gemstar-TV Guide International (NASD: GMST), a provider of electronic program guides for digital TV services, announced on Thursday that it has filed a patent infringement lawsuit against cable TV provider Virgin Media in the U.K.

Los Angeles - Apple (NASD: AAPL), AT&T (NYSE: T), Skype (NASD: EBAY) and cable TV operators including Comcast (NASD: CMCSA) and Cablevision have been sued for patent infringement by Klausner Technologies, over patents that cover certain attributes of voicemail that give users visual notification of incoming messages, and allow selective retrieval of messages.

Alviso, Calif. - TiVo (NASD: TIVO) announced on Thursday that the U.S. Patent Office has upheld its "Time Warp" patent on digital video recording technology, after a reexamination was requested by rival EchoStar (NASD: DISH), whom TiVo is suing for infringing the patent on its own recorders.

London - IBM (NYSE: IBM) has applied for a U.S. patent on a system that would serve advertising during DVD playback, The Register reports. "Whenever a DVD is to be played, a certificate is consulted to determine whether the content of the DVD should be played with or without commercial interruptions," the patent reads. "If the certificates provide for commercial interruptions, then commercials can be obtained from an online service that renders commercials on demand, or from the DVD itself."

San Francisco - OpenTV (NASD: OPTV), a provider of interactive TV software and services, announced on Friday that it has settled its lawsuit against former competitor Liberate Technologies, with Liberate admitting that it infringed two OpenTV patents.

Los Angeles - Gemstar-TV Guide International, a provider of electronic program guides for digital TV services, said on Thursday that it has signed three new patent license agreements in Europe, with German consumer electronics firms Loewe Opta, Metz-Werke and Kathrein-Werke. The deals will allow the companies to incorporate Gemstar's program guides into their television, set-top boxes and digital video recorders.

Washington - A panel of judges with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has signaled that it will likely rule at least partially in favor of TiVo in the company's patent infringement case against satellite TV firm EchoStar Communications, the Associated Press reported.

Southborough, Mass. - Texterity announced on Monday that it has been granted a U.S. patent for its technology that converts print magazines into digital format readable by most Web browsers. Some 400 digital magazines are published using the company's Published Web Format (PWF) system; customers include Dow Jones, Time Inc., Hearst, Conde Nast and Penton Media.

Seattle - Microsoft has settled a long-running patent dispute with Eolas Technologies, a University of California spin-off that develops browser technology and was previously awarded a judgment of over $500 million for patent infringement, the Seattle P-I reported.

San Diego - A federal judge has reversed a ruling that would have forced Microsoft to pay $1.53 billion in damages to Alcatel-Lucent for infringing MP3-related patents.

Seattle - RealNetworks announced on Wednesday that it has won a patent infringement lawsuit brought against the company by San Francisco-based Friskit, over technology that lets users easily search for and listen to streaming media.

Newport Beach, Calif. - Sony has been sued for patent infringement by Newport Beach, Calif.-based Parallel Processing Corporation, which claims the Cell processor that powers the company's PlayStation 3 video game console infringes its 1991 patent.

Foster City, Calif. - A Sony Computer Entertainment America patent application filed in September 2005 has emerged, for a device that appears to connect a PlayStation controller to its PSP handheld game device. While the filing provides scant details, potential uses for the link-up include adding analog control, force feedback and other features to the downloadable PlayStation 2 games available for the PSP.

Los Angeles - Gemstar-TV Guide International, a provider of electronic program guides for digital TV services, said this week that it has signed a multi-year patent license agreement with Italian digital TV operator SKY Italia, which counts four million subscribers.