Expo-EchoStar says settlement unlikely in TiVo suit

Iria · Jan 6, 2006, 02:59 AM

LAS VEGAS (Reuters) - EchoStar Communications Corp. chief executive Charles Ergen on Thursday said he expects no settlement in its legal battle with TiVo Inc. and expects the suit to proceed to the courts.

TiVo and EchoStar, the No. 2 U.S. satellite television service, sued each other, each claiming the other infringed patents related to Digital Video Recorders, television set-top boxes that allow users to save programs to a built-in computer hard drive.

Asked if there was a chance of a settlement, Ergen, who was attending a press conference at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, said, "I really don't think so."

"We were doing DVR long before they did. We believe they violated our patent. We didn't violate theirs," he told Reuters.

Two years ago TiVo filed a suit accusing EchoStar of violating a 1998 patent and is seeking an injunction against new sales of DVRs by EchoStar, which filed a countersuit in May of last year.

TiVo shares fell 8 cents to $5.15 in Thursday's Nasdaq trading, while EchoStar shares fell 12 cents to $28.50.
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Source: Reuters

Jan 6, 2006, 02:59 AM	#1
Iria DriverHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 7,275 Rep Power: 89	Expo-EchoStar says settlement unlikely in TiVo suit LAS VEGAS (Reuters) - EchoStar Communications Corp. chief executive Charles Ergen on Thursday said he expects no settlement in its legal battle with TiVo Inc. and expects the suit to proceed to the courts. TiVo and EchoStar, the No. 2 U.S. satellite television service, sued each other, each claiming the other infringed patents related to Digital Video Recorders, television set-top boxes that allow users to save programs to a built-in computer hard drive. Asked if there was a chance of a settlement, Ergen, who was attending a press conference at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, said, "I really don't think so." "We were doing DVR long before they did. We believe they violated our patent. We didn't violate theirs," he told Reuters. Two years ago TiVo filed a suit accusing EchoStar of violating a 1998 patent and is seeking an injunction against new sales of DVRs by EchoStar, which filed a countersuit in May of last year. TiVo shares fell 8 cents to $5.15 in Thursday's Nasdaq trading, while EchoStar shares fell 12 cents to $28.50. _____________ Source: Reuters