It seems obvious
License the TiVo technology. Then offer an upgrade to a =real= TiVo.
Time is running short for EchoStar to figure out an acceptable workaround to Tivo's DVR patent. The satellite provider said in a one-sentence court filing Monday that it's "investigating other potential design-around options, but at this stage, does not know whether a future design-around is even possible." If the company can …
Valid patent or not the fact is a bunch of people are going to get screwed because somebody had better lawyers than the other person. This is so lame. I thought patents required you to RAND off your IP (sell to anyone at a fair price) if someone wanted to use it? This should be required or else it is nothing but an unstable landrush that long term will harm society and our technology.
"EchoStar originally lost a 2004 patent infringement lawsuit that accused the company of improperly using Tivo's DVR technology that lets users record live television while simultaneously watching another program."
I was recording live TV while watching another channel nearly a third of a century ago.
I don't generally watch TV anymore, so maybe I'm missing something ...
Great article! Just one thing. I think your last paragraph is a bit off. They were given a temporary stay of the court order which stipulated the dvr functionality had to be shut off in 30 days. The stay could last only days, or it could last months depending on which direction the appeals court decides to take.
Someone's getting the sack for that one. Or depending on how they run the company, something more....permanent.
On a side note, can't wait to get Tivo* here in NZ at the end of the year. Yup, hooks up to Freeview and their HD broadcasts. Nice.
* Official stuff - none of this personally imported and hacked freetard nonsense.
but only because echostar has screwed over soooo many subscribers with their bait & switch offers and other typical cable company like behavior. It I could put a stick in their eye, I would do it.
On the gripping hand, I am sure there is plenty of prior art out there that involves watch one and record the other, but it probably comes down to the recording and storage protocols used, that are likely unique to TIVO, and not easily reproduced. They need to get an engineer with absolutely no prior involvement with either product to design the work around. And if the problem is unique to the hardware, I see recalls and customer demands for free replacements in the future.
To ASDF, I'm sure TiVo has tried to have Dish Network lease the technology that change TV viewing forever. If not how did other cable providers get the technology and the famous logo on thier sets. Wake up a crook is still a crook even when they hide behind a dish a dish a dish. sounds like an echo to me.
Anyone who owns a TUTV box has already been through similar experience. TUTV were forced to issue a firmware update which disabled owners from being able to select "Favourite" channels. In this case TUTV made it quite clear that whilst owners owned the hardware they only licensed the software and that they were fre to make changes. It was covered in the EUL.
There is no reason for TIVO to grant a licence to any company. I work in the lighting industry and many products get patents to prevent their competitors from making interchangeable parts.