Both TiVo and Comcast have claimed victory in their long-running dispute over Rovi IP.
In a statement, TiVo says it received a favourable determination by Administrative Law Judge MaryJoan McNamara of the International Trade Commission (ITC) that Comcast’s X1 platform infringes Rovi patents.
Arvin Patel, executive VP and chief intellectual property officer at Rovi Corporation, a TiVo company, said: “We are thrilled by yet another legal victory. This decision demonstrates Comcast’s repeated infringement of Rovi’s patents. We hope that today’s decision will encourage Comcast to pay the necessary licensing fees so their customers can once again access advanced cable features.”
However, Comcast responded by saying: “We view today’s initial determination to be a victory for Comcast because the administrative law judge found no violation as to two of the three patents addressed. We look forward to the full Commission’s review of the one remaining patent later this year, but we are confident, regardless, this ruling will not disrupt our service to our customers. Rovi also was unsuccessful on five other patents that it had previously withdrawn from this case.
“We will continue to resist Rovi’s efforts to force Comcast and our customers to make unreasonable payments for aging and obsolete patents.”
