TiVo to EchoStar: stop making DVRs!
By Marc Perton 
posted May 24th 2006 2:16PM
posted May 24th 2006 2:16PM
Emboldened by its recent court victory in a long-running patent battle with EchoStar, TiVo has now taken the volume up a notch, and filed for an injunction to stop EchoStar from making or selling DVRs. However, EchoStar has fought back, insisting that recent USPTO rulings overturning some TiVo patents could render TiVo's victory short-lived. And, of course, EchoStar is requesting that the original ruling, which awarded TiVo about $74 million, be stayed until the USPTO finishes digging through TiVo's records. One thing's certain: this isn't ending any time soon, so if you want to keep up, be sure to program your TiVo box to catch the latest news (or program your EchoStar box, if that's what you've got, and hope that its time-shifting functions don't suddenly disappear via a court-mandated firmware flash).
It is so funny how some people think intellectual property can't be owned. TiVo created patentable original features like 30-Second-Skip and Season Pass Recording that EchoStar thinks they should be able to use for free because they are "common knowledge." It TiVo DVR features are common knowledge, why didn't EchoStar market a DVR with them before TiVo did? Gimme a break!
I guess I should hold off on that HD-DVR dual tuner, dual room box and get one from TIVO- except for the fact that they don't make one like that and if they did it would cost more per month and take up precious rack space.
TIVO pisses me off. They seem to want a monopoly.
Then they want to slowly milk the consumer by raising prices and incorporating ADS.
SO Echostar, if you read Engadget, keep up the good fight, and pay them royalties if you are forced to.
**Laughts** This is so funny! How such a stupid company like TiVo is actully demanding for EchoStar to stop producing DVRs.
Be careful, TiVoif you keep pushing it, you might find yourself in the same "unpleseant" position as Voom...
ReplayTV Represent!