[mythtv-users] Tivo suing everyone in sight over DVR patents

Johnny jarpublic at gmail.com
Thu Aug 27 21:48:30 UTC 2009


> I wondered if there was any threat to MythTv here?
> What if Tivo starts complaining that MythTV uses some of its patented ideas?
>
>
> Imitation is flattery indeed, but it'd turn sour pretty quickly if Tivo felt
> that MythTV software was taking away customers (and therefore money).
>
> Is MythTV sue-able?

Here is the first two lines of the patent that Tivo has been
successfully litigating:

"A multimedia time warping system. The invention allows the user to
store selected television broadcast programs while the user is
simultaneously watching or reviewing another program."

The patent has already been reviewed and upheld by the patent office
and they won against Dish network. The devil is in the details and
precise wording of the patents and how it is argued in court, but
MythTV certainly falls under some of the provisions of this patent, at
least it does as much as the others who have been successfully sued by
Tivo. As to whether Tivo would actually pursue MythTV, who knows. I
doubt it. By the time they are done going after everybody with money,
the patents will probably have expired.


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