Saturday, August 29, 2009

TiVo accuses AT&T and Verizon of patent infringment

TiVo has filed suit against AT&T and Verizon for patent infringement - something the DVR maker is familiar with, after taking Dish/EchoStar to the cleaners. TiVo is seeking damages for infringed-upon patents including 6,233,389, 7,529,465 and 7,493,015. According to TiVo CEO Tom Rogers, there are multichannel operators who compete with TiVo through unauthorized use of its intellectual property.

Rogers added that TiVo "will continue to pursue enforcement where necessary" to prevent the infringement of its technology. He said that TiVo would continue to generate value through partnerships and distribution deals, but wanted investors to recognize its intellectual property. While TiVo has already succeeded in its retribution against EchoStar, the two have another hearing later this year.

In addition to the lawsuits, TiVo has reported a fiscal second quarter loss of $2.9 billion ($.3 per share), compared to a profit of $.3 per share last year. The company posted revenue of $57.3 million, down from $65.2 million a year ago. Overall, the company topped market expectations of a 5-cent-per-share loss.