Rovi sues Comcast for patent infringement

TV technology company Rovi is suing Comcast for alleged infringement of its patents and has accused the US service provider of continuing to use Rovi’s technology to power its TV service following the expiry of its fixed-term licence.

Rovi has accused Comcast of infringement of 14 of its patents covering features including the implementation of remote recording, its AnyRoom DVR service and its X1 search capability. The technology company said it was seeking an injunction barring continued infringement of its intellectual property as well as damages to compensate its losses.

“Today, Rovi filed legal action against Comcast,” said Tom Carson, president and CEO, Rovi.

“For over a decade, Comcast built its business using Rovi’s patented technology, which it licensed for a fixed term. Comcast’s decision to continue using Rovi’s pioneering technology as an unlicensed infringer is simply intolerable. After numerous attempts at negotiations, Rovi was left with no choice but to defend its intellectual property from unlicensed use.

“Rovi has taken this action to protect not only its patent portfolio, but also its stakeholders and licensees. While we are disappointed that Comcast remains unlicensed, we believe it needs a license to offer many of its personalised discovery features to its customers.”