Skip to main content

Microsoft and TiVo walk away from their patent fight

Tivo Elite
Image used with permission by copyright holder

A regulatory filing with the SEC has revealed that Microsoft and TiVo have walked away from a potentially high-stakes patent battle involving video delivery and TiVo’s critical “time-warp” patent. The statement reveals only that the companies have “reached an agreement” that dismisses all patent claims against each other. Neither company is walking away with anything: Microsoft doesn’t get any use of TiVo’s patents, TiVo doesn’t get any new access to Microsoft technology, and, apparently, no money changed hands. It’s like the patent dispute never happened — minus attorneys’ fees, of course.

The case dates back to early 2010 when Microsoft sued TiVo, alleging the DVR pioneer was infringing on Microsoft patents covering “programmable information displays” and purchase of digital video programming. Microsoft’s action was largely viewed as a defense of AT&T; TiVo had sued AT&T and Verizon in 2009 for infringing on its fundamental DVR patents, including the famous TiVo “time-warp” patent that brought EchoStar to its knees. AT&T’s video delivery system relied on Microsoft technology, and the Redmond company stepped up to defend it. Microsoft upped the ante again in early 2011, filing a second action against TiVo over patents covering interactive television and remote control interfaces.

Recommended Videos

Neither company gave any reasons for setting aside the patent litigation between them, but the move probably stems from Microsoft’s role in defending AT&T: at the beginning of 2012, AT&T agreed to pay TiVO a minimum of $215 million to settle TiVo’s patent infringement claims against the company. The deal includes AT&T paying TiVo per-subscriber fees through July 2018 if AT&T DVR subscriber base is over particular levels; the precise thresholds weren’t revealed by the companies. They also entered into a broad cross-licensing agreement.

With the battle between AT&T and TiVo set aside, Microsoft presumably had little reason to continue to target TiVo on AT&T’s behalf. The move to simply walk away from the suits was probably the route of expedience, bringing the quickest resolution and incurring the fewest costs.

Although TiVo essentially originated the DVR business — and its name is still used as a verb in many circles — the company never achieved dominance in the consumer marketplace thanks to cable and satellite providers rolling out their own DVR solutions for customers. Although TiVo continues to offer DVR products, the company has had recent success with its patent portfolio, finally defeating EchoStar in a seven-year battle over DVR patents, and executing a number of technology licenses with other operators.

Geoff Duncan
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Geoff Duncan writes, programs, edits, plays music, and delights in making software misbehave. He's probably the only member…
Cleer’s open-ear earbuds get new features for gamers
Cleer Arc II Gaming open-ear earbuds.

Cleer's Arc lineup of open-ear earbuds have always been impressively well-equipped with features, but now the company has added some bells and whistles designed with gamers in mind: The $190 Cleer Arc II Gaming and $235 Cleer Arc 3 Gaming earbuds are available in either black or white finishes starting February 4.

These new models are essentially the same as their non-gaming counterparts (the Cleer Arc II and Cleer Arc 3), but with one key difference: each comes with a dedicated USB-C wireless dongle for low-latency connections. On the Cleer Arc II Gaming, Cleer says that latency gets under 60 milliseconds and on the Cleer Arc 3 Gaming, it can achieve just a hair under 30 milliseconds. The lower the latency, the better when it comes to gaming (and watching videos).

Read more
How to pick a hi-res streaming service for Sonos
A hi-res audio logo adjacent to a Sonos Arc Ultra soundbar.

If you're a Sonos owner, I know that right now you're probably less interested in talking about streaming services, and a lot more concerned about when (or if) the company will ever finish fixing its "new" mobile app. I wish I had something positive to share on that front, but alas, like you, I'm also waiting for the day when I can once again reliably adjust the volume on my speakers.

I'm confident that day will (eventually) come, and I haven't thrown the towel in on Sonos despite the agony of the past eight months. In the meantime, I want to address a question I've been asked several times: What's the best hi-res streaming service for Sonos owners?

Read more
Get the LG 77-inch C4 Series OLED TV while it’s $1,500 off
LG C4 OLED

LG continues to dominate the OLED TV marketplace and doesn’t show any signs of stopping. From one year to the next, LG OLEDs have been praised for rich colors, unbeatable black levels, and overall brightness, the latter of which is often a sore spot for an OLED display. And because we’re always on the lookout for OLED TV deals, we came across this fantastic offer earlier today:

Right now, when you purchase the LG 77-inch C4 Series through LG, Best Buy, Crutchfield, and a handful of other retailers, you’ll only wind up paying $2,200. The full MSRP on this model is $3,700. We tested the LG C4 Series not too long ago, and reviewer Caleb Denison had the following to say: “[The] LG OLED EVO C4 is so good, we think that everyone should have this TV.”

Read more