Tivo hearing today?

[Curtis0620]

You better hope so.

[ronjohn]

At first I believed that the Tivo patents were frivolous; for recording a program on a hard drive and then watching it. After reading more about the case, I think there are specific details of implementation.(How else can Dish change the programming of the DVRs and no longer violate the patent?) I have not read the patents fully because reading legal language in patents make my head hurt.

I have two major problems with technological patents:

Many technology patents are in my opinion frivolous. For example, Amazon's one-click shopping. If you want to allow a customer to click one button and order an item, you will have to; have the user's information stored in a database, retrieve it, and connect the item they want to order to the user's information. That is extremely obvious. Amazon made their patent so wide, that it is virtually impossible for any other website to allow a user to click one button to order an item. To me that is like getting a patent for making a tire round.

The other problem I have is that you have to rely on juries to determine whether or not a patent has been violated. I think that in the typical jury pool there are probably a great majority that would have to use an installer to install DSL, or use store installers to install HD tvs. Think about the guy in your neighborhood that calls to ask for help with his wireless network. Then think about that guy on a jury trying to; read a technical patent, decide if a chipset design violates that patent, and decide if the software code written for the chipset infringes on the language described in the patent. The GREAT majority of jurors will hear "blah blah blah.... He did it" and "blah blah blah... No I didn't"

[8bitbytes]

Why buy TiVo when E* has a design around? Once there is no contempt, TiVo will be worth very little.

1. The fine paid will not go waste.
2. E* will collect royalty payments from those with Tivo licenses.
3. Dish can improve their own interface and then replace Tivos with theirs.

Win, Win in my book.

[waltinvt]

Funny how the gloom and doomers don't read thoroughly.

Of course given Dish's track record of court losses, they'll probably need to start a new account right away and guess where that'll be coming from?

[VinceT3]

I'm surprised dish hasn't just called it a day and purchased tivo... they are currently 6 bux right now.. even at 15 (which would be extreme).. what would that be.. 1.5 billion (they have roughly 102 million shares out there)? Isn't that like 10 law suits from a reality? lol

[lakebum431]

I'm surprised dish hasn't just called it a day and purchased tivo... they are currently 6 bux right now.. even at 15 (which would be extreme).. what would that be.. 1.5 billion (they have roughly 102 million shares out there)? Isn't that like 10 law suits from a reality? lol

Wrong, it isn't just the stock that they would have to buy. There are SIGNIFICANT change in control provisions at Tivo as well as escalating cost for a hostile take over. The actual cost is quite a bit more than that.

[jacmyoung]

I'm surprised dish hasn't just called it a day and purchased tivo... they are currently 6 bux right now.. even at 15 (which would be extreme).. what would that be.. 1.5 billion (they have roughly 102 million shares out there)? Isn't that like 10 law suits from a reality? lol

And after a no contempt ruling, TiVo's price may go down to $4, and buying it now for $6 will be a big loss

[Curtis0620]

And after a no contempt ruling, TiVo's price may go down to $4, and buying it now for $6 will be a big loss

After a contempt ruling it will be over $8.00

[DishSatUser]

To me that is like getting a patent for making a tire round.

I was preparing to make some serious litigation attempts for $$$ from all the automakers when an actor for Geico's insurance commercials proved prior art with a stone wheel.

[Hall]

There are SIGNIFICANT change in control provisions at Tivo as well as escalating cost for a hostile take over.

That was put in place when TiVo was one of the only DVR options around. They no longer are, hence their value is diminished. I suspect that TiVo's board would not invoke their poison pill in the event of a takeover. Easy solution for Dish is to simply make an offer directly to TiVo's board.