AT&T’s online TV service targeted in patent claim

Telecommunications company Cox Communications has sued AT&T in a patent infringement dispute concerning the technology used in an interactive television service.

In a complaint filed at the US District Court for the Northern District of Georgia Cox has claimed that AT&T infringed three of its patents.

The patents, US numbers 7,992,172, 8,332,889 and 5,999,970, are being infringed by AT&T through its U-Verse online service, according to Cox.

U-Verse is a personalised online streaming service that enables its users to record television programmes from their phone or computer.

In its complaint, filed on May 11, Cox said: “AT&T has directly infringed and continues to infringe one or more claims of the patents without Cox’s authority.”

Cox was founded in 1962 and offers its services in 22 states in the US. It is seeking a permanent injunction and damages.

The complaint follows a separate claim filed by AT&T in August last year that accused the telecoms company of infringing seven of its patents.

In AT&T’s claim, filed at the US District Court for the District of Delaware, the company claimed Cox’s “conduct constitutes a steadfast refusal to take a licence, even though Cox generates billions of dollars in revenue every year through its use of AT&T technologies”.

According to news website, Ars Technica, Cox asked for the case to be transferred to a district court closer to the company’s Georgia headquarters.

District Judge Gregory Sleet, who is overseeing the case, has yet to rule on the motion to transfer the case.

AT&T declined to comment on the most recent case.

Cox had not responded to a request for comment at the time of publication.