TiVo Slides As Court Plans Hearing In EchoStar Case

TiVo (TIVO) shares are down sharply this morning following the latest twist in its patent infringement litigation against Echostar (SATS) and DISH Network (DISH). (I would note that the case was originally filed against Echostar, which has since spun-off its satellite television business as DISH.) In the case, TiVo alleged that EchoStar’s DVRs violate its patents. TiVo won at trial; EchoStar developed a workaround; TiVo asserts that the workaround still violates its patents. Late yesterday, DISH and EchoStar announced that the court has scheduled a bench trial for February to consider whether the workaround violates an injunction barring the company from further violations of TiVo patents. TiVo, in a statement of its own last night , noted that the court did not rule on TiVo’s motion asking the court to find EchoStar/DISH in contempt for violating the injunction. TiVo also noted that the hearing will also address whether to assess any damages beyond nearly $105 million ... (link)