Rovi Corporation has announced that BSkyB has extended the term of its existing licence agreement with Rovi for its interactive program guide (IPG) patents. Terms of the agreement were not released, but it can be assumed that the ‘bricks in the wall’ EPG format used by BSkyB is included in the package.
“We are pleased that Sky, the leading pay television service in the United Kingdom, sees the continued value of our IP [intellectual property] portfolio and chose to extend the term of their license,” said Tom Carson, Executive Vice President, sales and services at Rovi. “We look forward to Sky utilizing our intellectual property further, as part of their growth and continued commitment to a quality guidance experience.”
European pay-TV operators including NDS, Kabel Deutschland, Portugal Telecom, Sky Italia and UPC Broadband have signed up to Rovi’s patents. However, some have been challenged in the courts, and Virgin Media’s High Court action of November last year is currently the subject of an appeal.
