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Video on demand firm sues Apple over streaming patents
Remember OpenTV, the video on demand software developer that sued Netflix for allegedly violating its streaming patents? It's back. The company is suing Apple in the belief that virtually everything Apple makes (such as the Apple TV and iTunes) is infringing on five streaming-related patents, including ones for interactive TV and copy protection. Supposedly, you're borrowing OpenTV technology when you download or rent a movie through Apple's software. The folks at 1 Infinite Loop haven't issued a formal response to the suit, although there's definitely pressure to offer compensation. OpenTV's parent company, the Kudelski Group, brags that it already has licensing deals (Netflix settled earlier this year) with the likes of Disney and Google -- Apple didn't necessarily use OpenTV's ideas, but it'll go against the grain if it fights back.
OpenTV owner sues Netflix over patent infringement
OpenTV isn't a name on the tips of most consumers tongues. Neither is Kudelski SA, the company behind the video middleware platform, most commonly found on cable set top boxes. But brand recognition may increase now that the firm is taking streaming video giant Netflix to court. At issue are a collection of patents related to content delivery and DRM which Kudelski says Netflix has refused to license from it. The company now feels its only course of action is to take Reed Hastings and his crew to the mat in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware. Unlike some other markets we can think of, the streaming video field hasn't yet devolved into constant patent battles. But as more companies enter the fray, like Walmart and Amazon, there's a chance we'll see the number of courtroom brawls explode.
