Motorola sues Tivo over technology patents

TIVO IS IN THE LEGAL CROSSHAIRS at the moment with Motorola Mobility becoming the second company to come out against it.

On Friday Motorola filed papers claiming patent infringement by Tivo, the US personal video service. Motorola claims its patents precede Tivo's because it acquired them when it bought Imedia, which had filed for patents in April 1995.

According to Reuters, Motorola said in a statement, "TiVo is attempting to assert its patents against technology disclosed and claimed in Motorola Mobility's patents, despite the fact that Motorola Mobility's patents were filed more than three years before TiVo's patents." Tivo had not responded to Reuters enquiries by press time.

This follows Microsoft's request to the US International Trade Commission asking it to investigate Tivo. Like Motorola, Microsoft has alleged patent infringement by Tivo for technologies related to its digital video recording technology.

The INQURER imagines that at some point Motorola and Microsoft will have to sue each other because their patent claims are bound to overlap. µ