Comcast Beats Back Patent Suit Against Its ‘Churn Buster,’ Xfinity X1

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Comcast wins the final judgment over Florida-based OTT tech startup WhereverTV, which sued the cable giant back in 2018 over how X1 handles streaming integration

Comcast X1
(Image credit: Comcast)

The golden age for Comcast’s voice-powered Xfinity X1 seems to have come and gone, with the video platform no longer billed as a ”churn buster“ in quarterly earnings reports — especially in the wake of a record 614,000 lost linear pay TV customers in Q1.

But X1 is still running hot and needs to cool down, as evidenced this week by a final judgment rendered in its favor by a federal court in Florida.

 

U.S. District Court Judge William Jung granted Comcast’s motion for judgment in the five-year-old patent-infringement suit filed against the cable operator by Fort Myers-based OTT tech startup WhereverTV.  

WhereverTV claimed Comcast’s integration of Netflix and other streaming services into the X1 platform infringed on its patent, “Global Interactive Program Guide Application and Device,” U.S. Patent No. 8,656,431.

For its part, Comcast claimed the patent covered an interactive program guide feature that the cable giant never ended up using. Judge Jung ruled that WhereverTV didn't convincingly prove X1 is infringing on its patent.  

Daniel Frankel
Daniel Frankel

Daniel Frankel is the managing editor of Next TV, an internet publishing vertical focused on the business of video streaming. A Los Angeles-based writer and editor who has covered the media and technology industries for more than two decades, Daniel has worked on staff for publications including E! Online, Electronic Media, Mediaweek, Variety, paidContent and GigaOm. You can start living a healthier life with greater wealth and prosperity by following Daniel on Twitter today!