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Patent Dispute

Appeals Court Backs TiVo in Patent Dispute with Pause Technology

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on August 17, 2005 - 9:17am.
Alviso, Calif. -- TiVo announced on Wednesday that it has won a patent dispute with Pause Technology, which sued TiVo in 2001 for allegedly infringing its patent on technology used to rewind, fast-forward and pause television programs. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit affirmed in a summary judgment a Feb. 2004 U.S. District Court ruling, which found TiVo did not infringe Pause's patent. "We are pleased with the Federal Circuit's decision and the resolution that it brings to this matter," said TiVo vice president and general counsel, Matthew Zinn. Alviso, Calif.-based TiVo said it will additionally seek an order from the District Court requiring Pause to pay all of TiVo's litigation costs.
tags: TiVo | Appeals Court | Patent Dispute | Pause Technology |

Movielink Wins Summary Judgment in USA Video Patent Dispute

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on February 1, 2005 - 3:57am.
Santa Monica, Calif. -- Movielink, an Internet-based video-on-demand service joint venture between a number of Hollywood movie studios, announced on Tuesday that it has received a favorable ruling in a patent infringement suit brought by USA Video Technology Corporation. The U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware granted Movielink's motion for summary judgment against USA Video, which sued Movielink in April 2003 claiming the company infringed on its "system and method for a user to request, and have delivered over an electronic network, a digitized video program." Connecticut-based USA Video provides businesses with streaming video and video-on-demand delivery technologies, and holds several patents on such technologies. "We vigorously defended against the USA Video infringement claims because we knew that Movielink was not infringing its patent. We are pleased, but not surprised, that the court has agreed with us," said Movielink CEO Jim Ramo. Movielink is a joint venture between MGM, Paramount, Sony, Universal and Warner Bros.
tags: Video | USA | Movielink | Patent Dispute |

SightSound Seeks Injunction to Shut Down Napster Over Patent Dispute

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on January 12, 2005 - 10:35am.
Los Angeles -- SightSound Technologies, a company that holds patents on the process of selling digital audio and video over the Internet, announced on Wednesday that it has filed a preliminary injunction against Napster, asking a judge to shut down the digital music service while a patent infringement lawsuit is considered. In a statement, SightSound president and CEO Scott Sander said that Napster sidelined negotiations with his company for a license of its audio technologies by demanding the free inclusion of a video license at the eleventh hour. "This lawsuit is the regrettable outcome of a long process that could have been resolved amicably," said Sander. "It is surprising that Napster has taken this road given that it seems to have been working to restore its brand value." Sander added that he believes Napster may now request a reexamination of SightSound's patents with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Last February, SightSound won a settlement in a six-year-old patent dispute with Bertelsmann subsidiaries CDnow and N2K. A hearing on Pennsylvania-based SightSound's request for an injunction against Napster has been scheduled for March 3 before the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania.
tags: Law | Napster | Shut Down | Patent Dispute | SightSound |

Wolfson Electronics Wins First Round in Patent Dispute

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 17, 2004 - 5:00am.
Edinburgh -- Wolfson Microelectronics, a Scotland-based semiconductor specialist that floated on the London stock exchange four years ago, announced on Wednesday that it has won a significant battle in its protracted patent dispute with Cirrus Logic, a U.S.-based maker of chips for audio and consumer electronics. Wolfson said the International Trade Commission ruled that Cirrus's claims over its "928" patent, which involved no fewer than 15 Wolfson products, were "unenforceable." While the Commission did say that Wolfson had infringed on Cirrus's "501" patent, the patent affects only three of Wolfson's products, two of which have already been discontinued, the Scottish firm said. Cirrus now has 10 days to appeal the ruling. Meanwhile, Wolfson said it planned to continue with its counter-suit claiming that Cirrus improperly interfered with its initial public offering (IPO) in 2000.
tags: First Round | Patent Dispute | Wolfson Electronics |

Patent Office Favors Microsoft in Eolas Browser Patent Dispute

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on August 19, 2004 - 2:20am.
Washington -- Microsoft has won another victory in its patent battle with Eolas, a company claiming to hold a patent covering the use of plug-ins with a Web browser, CNET News.com reported. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office rejected all 10 patent of Eolas' patent claims currently under review, in the second part of a three-part patent review process. Eolas, a spin-off from the University of California, previously won a $521 million patent infringement judgment against Microsoft in the matter, which Microsoft is appealing. That ruling could compel Web browser makers like Microsoft to license Eolas' technology, or else create a workaround that would potentially "break" millions of Web pages. Microsoft has appealed that ruling, as well as asked the Patent Office to re-examine the Eolas patent, from which the recent ruling in Microsoft's favor emerged. Both the legal case and the Patent Office re-examination will likely go through several stages of appeal before any outcome is decided.
tags: Microsoft | Eolas | Patent Dispute | Patent Office |

Gemstar-TV Guide Ends Patent Dispute With EchoStar, Sells Some Assets

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on March 2, 2004 - 7:05am.
Los Angeles -- Building on its recent string of licensing agreements, Gemstar-TV Guide International, a provider of electronic program guides for digital TV services, announced on Tuesday that it has licensed its program guide to satellite TV broadcaster EchoStar, and settled its four-year patent dispute with the company. The agreement includes a one-time payment by EchoStar of $140 million to license Gemstar's guide for use on its DISH Network service. Separately, the companies said that EchoStar has acquired Gemstar's Superstar/Netlink Group (SNG), UVTV distribution, and SpaceCom businesses and related assets for $48 million in cash. Los Angeles-based Gemstar's deal with EchoStar follows a similar deal last week in which the company ended litigation and licensed its technology to consumer electronics firm Pioneer, and recent licensing agreements with firms including Mitsubishi, LG and Comcast.
tags: EchoStar | Gemstar-TV | Guide | Patent Dispute | Assets |

Gemstar Settles Patent Dispute, Licenses TV Program Guide to Pioneer

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on February 27, 2004 - 7:42am.
Los Angeles -- Gemstar-TV Guide International, a provider of electronic program guides for digital TV services, announced on Friday that it has ended outstanding litigation with consumer electronics firm Pioneer, and will license its program guide technology for use in Pioneer products in North America, Japan and Europe. The deal includes a one-time payment to Gemstar of $14 million, as well as license fees based on the number of Pioneer devices using Gemstar technology that are sold. "I'm delighted to have resolved the issues between our two companies, and look forward to working with Pioneer to make their customers' television experience more simple and enjoyable," said Gemstar CEO Jeff Shell. In the past several months, Los Angeles-based Gemstar has signed similar license agreements with Sony, LG, Comcast and Mitsubishi.
tags: Pioneer | Gemstar | TV Program | Patent Dispute |