[mythtv-users] Patents again

Matthew Watson glycer67 at gmail.com
Sat Jul 16 15:01:56 EDT 2005


http://news.com.com/Forgent+sues+cable+companies+over+DVR+patent/2100-1047_3-5788649.html

Now Forgent claims they have a patent on "how to build a
computer-controlled video system that can play back video while
recording," originally intended for video conferencing.

MW

On 4/13/05, Joseph A. Caputo <jcaputo1 at comcast.net> wrote:
> On Wednesday 13 April 2005 12:08, Brian May wrote:
> > Joseph A. Caputo wrote:
> > > On Saturday 09 April 2005 13:12, Colin Smillie wrote:
> > >
> > >>On Apr 8, 2005 3:13 PM, Robert Johnston <anaerin at gmail.com> wrote:
> > >>
> > >>>Patent No. 6,674,960 (The one in question, which relates to
> > >
> > > recording
> > >
> > >>>to a hard-drive) was filed in 2002, that's 10 years after Hauppauge
> > >>>make a system for doing so. Therefore Patent No. 6,674,960 is moot
> > >>>under the terms of "Prior Art", if I recall correctly.
> > >>
> > >>Not quite a mute point, the patent would still need to be over
> > >>turned.
> > >> Last I heard the average cost to over turn a patent was somewhere
> > >>around $2M in legal fees, in most cases not replayable. It alot of
> > >>smaller companies will be forced to pay a settlement rather than
> > >>fighting.
> > >
> > >
> > > ...but there are some big players now in the DVR market.  It might
> > > be
> > > worth it for a big player like Comcast to get the patent overturned.
> >
> > Like Microsoft and their Media Center?  (i don't think Forgent is part
> > of MS, but I could be wrong..)
> 
> Right; but somehow, I get the feeling that MS would be more likely to
> license the bogus patent than to try and overturn it, but that's just
> my gut feeling.
> 
> -JAC
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