AfterDawn: News

Dish, Echostar win against TiVo

Dish Network and Echostar have won a victory this week over TiVo, with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office claiming TiVo's patent claims for "time warp" DVR tech are invalid.

The updated ruling comes after the PTO reexamined the patents for a second time.



TiVo said it would follow the ruling with additional arguments.

The decision could still lead to the satellite companies paying damages to TiVo, but the new PTO ruling could still have long-term ramifications in TiVo's other cases against AT&T and Verizon, says the WSJ.

All the companies have been fighting for years over the patents to the technology that allows for pausing, rewind and fast-forwarding of live TV.

In 2006, Dish and EchoStar were found liable of patent infringement when they began creating their own set-top boxes. The companies are currently in "en banc review," which will spell out the legal ramifications of the case.

Most expect TiVo to win.

Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 9 Jun 2010 10:12

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• 4 comments

• bobiroc

  I hope TIVO does not win. I have read a lot of these stories and skimmed over Tivo's claims and they thing they invented DVR technology. I cannot see how you can patent pausing and fast forwarding digital recordings. Most "other" dvr devices use some linux varient on their set top boxes and use encrypted video standards. People were recording TV on computers well before Tivo was a company.
  

  AMD Phenom II 965 @ 3.6Ghz, 8GB DDR3, ATI Radeon 5770HD, 300GB 10,000RPM Raptor, 2TB Additional HDD, Windows 7 Ultimate.

  10.6.2010 18:53 #1

• duke8888

  Tivo did invent DVR technology and when you say they didn't you are confusing it to old VHS technology to which Tivos is not you must compare apples to apples. I have been beta tester for them for 4 years and they are so far ahead of the game with a great product now and forth coming.

  11.6.2010 13:18 #2

• duke8888

  Tivo did invent DVR technology and when you say they didn't you are confusing it to old VHS technology to which Tivos is not you must compare apples to apples. I have been beta tester for them for 4 years and they are so far ahead of the game with a great product now and forth coming.

  11.6.2010 13:18 #3

• hastypete

  Originally posted by duke8888: Tivo did invent DVR technology and when you say they didn't you are confusing it to old VHS technology to which Tivos is not you must compare apples to apples. I have been beta tester for them for 4 years and they are so far ahead of the game with a great product now and forth coming. First rule of Beta testing on Tivo, "Do not talk about beta testing on Tivo".

  11.6.2010 15:48 #4