Just last month, TiVo found itself being sued by Microsoft for infringing on various parents. Now, Motorola will get in on the action and take the TV service to court for allegedly illegally using its own patented DVR technology.
Two years back, TiVo itself was the one hurling accusations of patent infringement. The company claimed Verizon was benefitting from its own innovation, saying at the time that “we will continue to pursue enforcement where necessary to stop infringement of our intellectual property.”
According to Motorola, that property actually doesn’t belong to TiVo. Verizon uses Motorola’s DVR technology, and to protect its own interests, the company will countersue TiVo and challenge its allegations. Reuters reports that Motorola acquired its DVR patents in 1995 when it bought out Imedia. In the complaint it filed, Motorola said that, “TiVo is attempting to assert its patents against technology disclosed and claimed in Motorola Mobility’s patents, despite the fact that Motorola Mobility’s patents were filed more than three years before TiVo’s parents.
The legal department isn’t the only area of TiVo’s woes. The program recording pioneer has seen consistently sagging sales numbers, and as Internet TV becomes more popular and built-in DVR included in most boxes, it’s likely to only get more complicated.
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