Sets Deadline to Stop Unlawful Use of ActiveVideo Patents in FiOS Service
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SAN JOSE, CA (November 23, 2011) — Judge Raymond A. Jackson, US District Court Judge for the Eastern District of Virginia, today issued an injunction against Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ) ordering the company to “cease and desist” from the continued, unlawful use of intellectual property belonging to ActiveVideo Networks™.
The injunction is effective May 23, 2012. In the interim, Verizon must make monthly sunset royalty payments of $2.74 per subscriber per month starting December 1, 2011.
The injunction follows the award by the jury in August of $115 million. That award was increased by the Court. To date ActiveVideo has been awarded a total of $139.1 million in damages, supplemental damages and interest.
Jeff Miller, president and CEO of ActiveVideo Networks stated, “We are extremely pleased with the court’s decision to enjoin Verizon’s infringing activities. It is only right that Verizon, having been found to infringe our patents, should be prevented from competing with us.” Miller went on to say, “Throughout this process, the court has consistently upheld the rights of ActiveVideo Networks to its patented technology. We believe it is well past time for Verizon to comply with the court’s decision, and to cease its unlawful and unauthorized use of our intellectual property.”
ActiveVideo filed suit against Verizon in May, 2010, alleging that the Verizon FiOS television service infringed four patents for technology created, owned and used by ActiveVideo. The patents, which are fundamental to interactive television services such as video on demand, include:
- United States Patent No. 6,034,678, titled “Cable Television System With Remote Interactive Processor;"
- United States Patent No. 5,550,578, titled “Interactive And Conventional Television Information System;”
- United States Patent No. 6,100,883, titled “Home Interface Controller For Providing Interactive Cable Television;” and
- United States Patent No. 6,205,582, titled “Interactive Cable Television System with Frame Server.”
A jury in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia found that Verizon infringed all of the asserted claims.
Having pioneered cloud-based delivery of VOD and interactive television, ActiveVideo has a substantial and fundamental portfolio of patents dating back to the early 1990s. The ActiveVideo CloudTV™ platform is currently deployed with major cable system operators, including Cablevision. It offers solutions for video on demand navigation, interactive games, and many other interactive services.
ActiveVideo is represented by the law firm Morgan Lewis.
About ActiveVideo Networks ActiveVideo Networks™ has created CloudTV™, a cloud-based app platform that enables the fast and flexible development and deployment of personalized navigation interfaces and other advanced user experiences for television service providers. Using the CloudTV platform, service providers can deliver navigational mosaics, advanced advertising, TV apps, games and multi-screen pairing solutions to any set-top box, CI+ enabled television, mobile device, and broadband-connected CE device. ActiveVideo Networks is based in the heart of Silicon Valley, with offices in Los Angeles and Hilversum, the Netherlands. For more information, visit www.activevideo.com; find us at www.facebook.com/ActiveVideoNetworks; follow us at www.twitter.com/activevideo; view our videos at www.youtube.com/AVCloudTV.
