TiVo continues patent fight with Comcast
Entertainment technology group TiVo Corporation has filed a patent infringement complaint against telecoms business Comcast Corporation as part of an ongoing battle between the companies.
The claims, which were filed at the US District Court for the Central District of California and the US District Court for the District of Massachusetts on Wednesday, January 10, accuse Comcast of continuing to infringe patents owned by TiVo.
Central to this lawsuit are US patent numbers 7,827,585; 9,294,799; 9,369,741; 9,578,363; 9,621,956; and 9,668,014. Filed between 2005 and 2016, they all relate to interactive programme guides, digital storage, transport control interface, and content access.
The complaints allege that Comcast’s Xfinity range of TV entertainment products, which include the X1 set-top TV box and the Xfinity remote device, infringe the patents.
TiVo also claimed that Comcast provides customers with instructions that facilitate patent infringement through the search feature of the X1 box, “with full knowledge” of the existence of the patents.
Intelligent search technology company Veveo previously owned the patents, prior to Rovi’s acquisition of Veveo in 2014. Rovi is now a subsidiary of TiVo.
In August 2013, Veveo filed a lawsuit against Comcast alleging that, during a previous software licence agreement between the parties, Comcast used its access to Veveo’s search technology to copy core features of the patents. Comcast did not renew its licence.
In April 2016, Rovi sued Comcast for patent infringement in two suits and brought an enforcement action against Comcast at the US International Trade Commission (ITC).
The ITC found that Comcast’s X1 box infringed two of the patents in question in November 2017, and ordered Comcast not to import or distribute the infringing products. Comcast still refused to renew its licence, according to TiVo.
TiVo said that despite the exclusion order, Comcast continues to make, use, and distribute the infringing products.
“Comcast apparently believes that it can use Rovi’s technology for free, while all of Comcast’s competitors have paid a reasonable price for a licence,” said the complaints.
Rovi also plans to file a complaint with the ITC, seeking an exclusion order to prevent the X1 boxes being imported into the US.
Enrique Rodriguez, president and CEO of TiVo, said: “Hundreds of media and entertainment leaders around the world recognise the value of our innovations by selecting our products and services and licensing our IP.“
TiVo said that it hopes Comcast will renew its licence with Rovi.
A spokesperson for Comcast said: “Comcast engineers independently created our X1 products and services, and through its litigation campaign against Comcast, Rovi seeks to charge Comcast and its customers for technology Rovi didn’t create.”
The spokesperson added that Rovi’s attempt to extract these payments for its “aging and increasingly obsolete patent portfolio” has failed to date.
Did you enjoy reading this story? Sign up to our free daily newsletters and get stories like this sent straight to your inbox.
Today’s top stories
Hogan Lovells appoints IP litigator as board chair
Awapatent expands IP department
Chinese court rules against Samsung, again
AG advises CJEU on German castle name clash
Gillette emerges victorious in German patent dispute
Federal Circuit affirms tossed patent suits against HTC and BlackBerry
Complete our Reader Survey and tell us what you think about WIPR for a chance win a corporate subscription worth £2450.
