The difference here is that other providers can survive without licensing the technology behind the TiVo Season Pass Manager.Perhaps this round, but remember Tivo was recently awarded a patent on their Season Pass Manager.
The difference here is that other providers can survive without licensing the technology behind the TiVo Season Pass Manager.Perhaps this round, but remember Tivo was recently awarded a patent on their Season Pass Manager.
Very true, but I don't see how most seaon pass/scheduling functions (E*, D*, Comcast, FiOS, etc.) don't violation the Season Pass Manager patent. It's just more ammunition for Tivo to go after the ViP series DVRs...unless that patent gets overturned. Of course, I don't see this happening since the Season Pass Manager was reviewed by the USPTO 10-years prior to award. Regardless, the only way Tivo is going away is through a licensing agreement or purchase/merger.The difference here is that other providers can survive without licensing the technology behind the TiVo Season Pass Manager.
If the courts award damages based on a patent that is later found invalid, shouldn't the recipient of the damages be required to return the money?
from previous threads it sounds like nearly $100 million or so that Dish paid to TIVO is gone for good.If the courts award damages based on a patent that is later found invalid, shouldn't the recipient of the damages be required to return the money?
If the courts award damages based on a patent that is later found invalid, shouldn't the recipient of the damages be required to return the money?
I love how everyone corrects Dicken's grammar.The law is sometimes an ass.
The appeals court can take the PTO action into account when they hear arguments on the contempt ruling. I'm sure E* will highlight the PTO's comments about the use of start codes and indexes that made the invalidated Time Warp patent work. E* argued to Judge Folsom that the software modifications that were made did not infringe the Time Warp patent specifically because it did not use start codes or indexes. The PTO stated that the Time Warp patent definitely used the start codes and indexes and those processes were based on prior art and therefore not patentable without adding some new process to the mix. TIVO had agrued before Judge Folsom that the start codes and indexes were not vital for the Time Warp to work and Folsom bought their argument. Judge Rader noted the conflict in his dissent. Now the PTO says Time Warp can't work without them and is based on prior art.
The Time Warp patent (or the '389 patent) allows you to view a program while you are recording it and then "skip back" or "skip forward" through the recording. Originally the PTO agreed with TIVO that this was a new process but has since decided that it is just based on prior art. TIVO will now have to show the PTO how the Time Warp patent is a new process and not just an enhancement of prior art if it wants the decision to be overturned.Just exactly what is the crux of the "time warp" concept that allowed a patent in the first place. Since virtually everything in a DVR evolved from the basic VCR (or basic recording) concept, how difficult would it be for all recording procedures and ideas to evolve from them? Even us laymen could conceive the ideas even though it would take software engineers to implement them. While I believe in protecting innovation, I'm not for the idea of just being first in lieu of being first AND unique. Obviously I'm missing something and would really appreciate enlightenment.
Just exactly what is the crux of the "time warp" concept that allowed a patent in the first place. Since virtually everything in a DVR evolved from the basic VCR (or basic recording) concept, how difficult would it be for all recording procedures and ideas to evolve from them? Even us laymen could conceive the ideas even though it would take software engineers to implement them. While I believe in protecting innovation, I'm not for the idea of just being first in lieu of being first AND unique. Obviously I'm missing something and would really appreciate enlightenment.
One of the main component of the patent infringement charge is use of the "Barton Media Switch"--The parser and event buffer decouple the CPU from having to parse the MPEG stream and from the real time nature of the data streams which allows for slower CPU and bus speeds and translate to lower system costs.
Multimedia time warping system - Google Patent Search
Dish says they dont use a "Barton Media Switch", TIVO says they do. Judge Folsom says tells the jury it doesnt have to be copied to infring. Judge Folsom also states the methods are only colorably different
Seems like some folks don't understand that its impossible to violate a patent is that patent no longer exists.
If I committed a crime last week, and this week the legislature voted to change the law so that my action last week is no longer a crime, wouldn't they still prosecute me based on what the law was at the time?
Even though the patent may no longer be in effect, it was in effect at the time of the alleged violation. Can't they still be forced to pay for violation even though the patent is now invalidated? (Just not pay for any violation that would have occurred after the patent was invalidated?)