TiVo hit Comcast with two new lawsuits alleging that a host of features on the cable giant’s X1 platform infringe on Rovi patents.
The latest suits, filed Jan. 10 in federal district courts in California and Massachusetts, assert that Comcast’s X1 platform infringes on patented tech that allows users to pause shows on one device and pick up where they left off on another, as well as restart live programming already in progress.
In addition, Rovi, which took on the TiVo name after it acquired the company in 2016 for $1.1 billion, alleges Comcast failed to license technologies for “advanced DVR recording features, and advanced search and voice functionality.”
Comcast said it plans to “aggressively defend” itself against the suit.
“Comcast engineers independently created our X1 products and services, and through its litigation campaign against Comcast, Rovi seeks to charge Comcast and its customers for technology Rovi didn’t create,” a Comcast spokesperson said in statement emailed to CED. “Rovi’s attempt to extract these unfounded payments for its aging and increasingly obsolete patent portfolio has failed to date.”
The recent TiVo litigation comes after an International Trade Commission ruling in November found Comcast infringed on two Rovi patents related to cloud-based DVR functions, though the ITC found no violation in regards to four other patents asserted by Rovi in that case. Comcast has said it will appeal the ITC decision, but in the meantime, the cable operator disabled a feature that allowed X1 customers to remotely schedule DVR recordings from mobile devices and web browsers.
Rovi said it also plans to pursue additional legal action with the ITC regarding the same patents named in the latest lawsuit, as well as seek an exclusion order barring the allegedly infringing X1 set-top boxes from being imported into the U.S.
“Through decades-long investment in research and development, Rovi has created innovations that delight consumers in their day-to-day entertainment experience. Our commitment to our customers and stockholders compels us to protect these valuable inventions from unlicensed use,” said Enrique Rodriguez, president and CEO of TiVo, said in a statement. “Our goal is for Comcast to renew its long-standing license so it can continue providing its customers the many popular features Rovi invented.”
Filed Under: Industry regulations + certifications