Rovi has signed a worldwide patent-licensing agreement with Sony covering Rovi's interactive program guide patent portfolio and related product solutions, including online content delivery services and a range of home and mobile devices.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Rovi's IPG patent portfolio and related products, including entertainment data that provides show descriptions, editorial reviews, and multimedia content. The company sells advertising inventory through the Rovi Advertising Network that is displayed on connected devices.
"We are pleased that the relevance of our entertainment related products and intellectual property continue to be recognized by industry leaders such as Sony," Rovi executive vice president of worldwide sales and marketing Matt Milne said in a statement. "In use to enable a variety of advanced consumer experiences on multiple screens, our [intellectual property] and product portfolio is helping our customers drive customer satisfaction and new streams of revenue."
Rovi's consumer-electronics IPG licensees include Apple, Hitachi, LG, Mitsubishi, Panasonic, Philips, Samsung, Sharp and Toshiba. As of Dec. 31, 2011, the company held 664 U.S. patents and have 781 U.S. patent applications pending, as well as 2,430 foreign patents issued and 1,276 foreign patent applications pending.
