Digital video recorder company TiVo filed a patent infringement suit on Monday against EchoStar Communications, a satellite TV service provider.
San Jose, Calif.-based TiVo said EchoStar's technology violates its "multimedia time warping system" patent, which it received in May 2001 from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Some set-top boxes used with EchoStar's satellite service come with DVR capabilities. Defending its patents are crucial to TiVo, which has been emphasizing its licensing business, which complements its services operations. The company counts major consumer electronics makers such as Pioneer, Sony and Toshiba as licensees.
"We've invested in building a comprehensive patent portfolio to protect our intellectual property, and as the DVR category grows, we will be aggressive in protecting those assets," TiVo CEO Mike Ramsay said in a statement. "The success of our licensing business clearly demonstrates the value the industry has placed on TiVo's technology. It's important that we protect our IP for TiVo and our licensees." TiVo is seeking monetary awards and an injunction against future sales of DVRs by EchoStar.
News source: C|Net News.com
