Verizon's Attempt To Attack Cablevision With Patents Fails
from the sensible-itc dept
Verizon and Cablevision have been involved in an intense battle for years over broadband customers on Long Island. So it really wasn't a huge surprise when Verizon tried to up the ante by suing Cablevision for patent infringement concerning DVR technology. It was pretty clear the lawsuit had nothing whatsoever to do with Cablevision actually copying Verizon. It was just a way to attack a competitor via the courts. Oh, and of course, Verizon got two cracks at Cablevision because it used the ITC loophole, as well. Thankfully, the ITC seems to have come to its senses, of late, and is being pretty tough on patent claims. And, in this case, it's come down against Verizon, saying that Cablevision didn't infringe on four of the five patents. The fifth? That one didn't matter because a court (in Eastern Texas, believe it or not) had ruled that the patent was invalid. It seems this particular anti-competitive usage of patents didn't get very far.Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
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Filed Under: broadband, patents, set top box
Companies: cablevision, verizon
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Perfectly Simple Fix
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Re: Perfectly Simple Fix
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Re: Re: Perfectly Simple Fix
Only $5k/day will keep a startup from dying and give it the necessary supplies it needs to fight off the patent virus. Picture the tiny building, bright windows shining with hope, as your donation helps cover it with the mesh netting that keeps the dreaded Lawyer Mosquito from biting.
This young startup may grow up to be a monopoly one day, and it will be thanks to those that donate now to keep it alive in its infancy.
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The best option
Plaintiff pays all attorney fees. So yes, you win the damages lawsuit. You still pay something for the privilege of enforcement.
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Re: The best option
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Re: Re: The best option
How? I can see it making lawsuits for smaller business and end users much more difficult, but big businesses will still use it as a weapon to bash the competition's head with. Essentially nothing will change.
However, I personally like where you are going with this though. I am not a fan of copyright, patents, or trademarks, as they currently are implemented, and would like to see them reigned in. Reducing copyright to a reasonable 17 years plus 17 year extension (or even better, allow unlimited 17 year extensions,) and lock down copyright so that it can only be held by the creator, and cannot be sold permanently to a corporation (the creator can give the company their permission to exclusive distribution, if they want, limited to 17 years.) Software patents should be outlawed entirely, as with business process patents. And trademarks must be specific to a trade mark...there should be no way a company can trademark the color pink.
I realize the price I'd pay for these changes, but they would go along way to removing the sheer stupidity and the tyranny by the oldies that exist in the current situation (Mickey Mouse has done more to destroy the public domain than anyone else in the field.)
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Software should not be patentable, that is all.
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Why?
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Verizon trying to abuse IP
I can prove conclusively that, when used as intended in the US Constitution (which excludes large entity patents, or "nearly all" patents), patents can be a very good thing - but nearly all patents in the US (and much of the world) today are abusive and anticompetitive, and should be abolished. As a (weak) substitute, cracking down on them is a "good thing".
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Re: Verizon trying to abuse IP
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