SAN CARLOS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Rovi Corporation (NASDAQ: ROVI) today filed a patent infringement
lawsuit against Comcast in the Eastern District of Texas, Marshall
Division.
“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 personalized discovery
features to its customers.”
In its filings today, Rovi asserts infringement by Comcast, together
with its set-top box suppliers, of 14 U.S. patents that together deliver
the most important features to Comcast customers. These features
include, for example, the way that Comcast implements remote recording,
AnyRoom® DVR and X1 search. Rovi seeks both an injunction barring
continued infringement and damages to compensate it for the harm
inflicted by that infringement.
Over the past quarter century, Rovi has invested over a billion dollars
in research and development for its products and intellectual property
to create one of the world’s largest media and entertainment patent
portfolios comprised of more than 5,000 issued patents and pending
applications worldwide. Today, Rovi’s intellectual property is broadly
licensed throughout the North American pay-TV industry and by eight of
the top 10 U.S. service providers, including the world’s largest pay-TV
provider, AT&T, in addition to Time Warner Cable and Charter
Communications. At the end of 2015, more than 180 million pay-TV
subscribers around the world relied on the entertainment discovery
experiences enabled by Rovi’s intellectual property.
Rovi has not changed its financial estimates for 2016, which were issued
on February 11, 2016 and anticipated possible litigation with Comcast.
Rovi’s estimates planned for legal expenses and excluded any licensing
or advertising revenues from Comcast after March 31, 2016.
About Rovi Corporation
Rovi Corporation (NASDAQ: ROVI) is creating personalized and data-driven
ways for viewers to discover the right entertainment and for providers
to discover the right audiences. Chosen by top brands in entertainment
content, services and devices, Rovi touches the lives of hundreds of
millions of consumers by providing comprehensive solutions, customizable
products and technology licensing to make discovery simple, seamless and
personal. With more than 5,000 issued or pending patents worldwide, Rovi
is advancing entertainment and audience discovery. Learn more at rovicorp.com,
or follow us on Twitter @rovicorp.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
All statements contained herein that are not statements of historical
fact, including statements that use the words “will” or “is expected
to,” or similar words that describe Rovi Corporation’s or its
management’s future plans, objectives or goals, are “forward-looking
statements” and are made pursuant to the Safe-Harbor provisions of the
Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking
statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other
factors that could cause the actual results of Rovi Corporation to be
materially different from the historical results and/or from any future
results or outcomes expressed or implied by such forward-looking
statements. Such factors are further addressed in Rovi Corporation’s
most recent report on Form 10-K for the period ended December 31, 2015,
and such other documents as are filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission from time to time (available at www.sec.gov).
Rovi Corporation assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking
statements in order to reflect events or circumstances that may arise
after the date of this release, except as required by law.
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160401005204/en/
Rovi Corporation
Stacey Hurwitz, 617-710-9171
[email protected]
Source: Rovi Corporation