Interactive program guide vendor and metadata supplier Rovi Corp. said it was victorious in an infringement proceeding in Italy initiated by Card Mania and Italvideo.
Those two CE companies had alleged that the Italian portions of two European Rovi patents (EP 0969662 and EP 1377049) are invalid and not infringed, while Rovi counterclaimed the exact opposite.
Rovi said the Court of Turin in Italy issued its decision in May that Rovi is entitled to a total combined judgment of approximately $1 million, noting that the court had previously found the asserted patents valid and infringed by Card Mania and Italvideo.
“We’re pleased that the Italian Court upheld these two patents, found them infringed and awarded Rovi a substantial damages award, demonstrating the strength, relevance and value of Rovi’s patents,” said Samir Armaly, executive vice president of intellectual property and licensing, Rovi, in a statement. “These are only two patents in our larger portfolio. Rovi has a well-established licensing program with many of the consumer electronics companies in Italy and throughout Europe. We look forward to growing our licensing program in this market.”
In the U.S., Rovi is still in a battle with Netflix in a case at the Northern District Court in Oakland that’s being heard after the U.S. International Trade Commission, in November 2013, affirmed an earlier ruling that Netflix’s streaming software did not infringe on Rovi patents tied to IPG technology.
