Advertisement

Microsoft has AT&T's back, sues TiVo for patent infringement

The DVR patent fight just got a little crazier, with Microsoft greasing itself up and jumping into the arena -- seemingly to preserve the honor of AT&T. You'll remember (maybe) that TiVo and AT&T have been having something of a fight over a few different patents primarily related to time shifting. Now Microsoft is suing TiVo, saying that it has stepped on two patents used in AT&T's U-Verse, which you'll recall relies on Microsoft's Mediaroom. Want to hear some of the legal verbiage in question? "A system that displays programmable information and a secure method for buying and delivering video programs." It's vague and all-encompassing, and that's just how we like our patent kerfuffles.