Wi-Lan Just Keeps On Suing; Says Cable Modems Infringe Its Patents Too

from the does-any-networking-equipment-not-infringe? dept

Wi-Lan really is the patent troll that just keeps on suing. You may recall that the company -- which once was an operating company that totally failed in the market, because it was unable to execute -- has since become one of the nastier patent trolls out there, suing everyone it possibly can. Years back, it claimed that it had patents that covered the basics behind WiFi. After that, it claimed patents on mobile broadband offerings, like WiMax. It's also sued over patents on mobile devices and near-field Bluetooth technology.

And it's not stopping there. Its latest move is to sue a bunch of cable firms for violating patents with their cable modems. Basically, if you offer any kind of networking, expect to have to pay some sort of tax to this company that couldn't hack it in the marketplace. Is that how the patent system was supposed to work?

Filed Under: cable modems, networking, patents
Companies: wi-lan

Guy Who Helped Mod Cable Modems Arrested By The FBI

from the freedom-to-tinker? dept

What a world we live in: if you tinker too much with the electronic equipment you buy, you might get charged with a crime. That seems to be what happened to a guy in Oregon who helps mod cable modems. Now, clearly, some people can and do use modded cable modems to access cable service that they haven't paid for, but there are plenty of legitimate reasons to hack your own hardware or to buy modded hardware. Just like unlocking a mobile phone should be perfectly legal, the same is true of unlocking a legally purchased cable modem. As the article linked above explains, most of the indictment seems to focus on the actions of others in this guy's forums, which should lead to an easy Section 230 dismissal (as he shouldn't be responsible for their actions). The only "questionable" issue for the guy is a request for certain information that could potentially have been used to gain unauthorized access -- but that's not evidence that he actually did so. All in all, this seems like an attempt to crack down on anyone interfering with artificial locks put on legally purchased hardware by the cable companies. And, if that's the case, why is the FBI involved at all? Shouldn't this just be a civil issue involving the cable companies?

Filed Under: arrest, cable modems, hacking, modding, tinkering

Time Warner Cable Accused Of Antitrust Violation For Requiring You To Rent Your Modem

from the illegal-tying? dept

A guy in Kansas is suing Time Warner Cable for its practice of requiring customers to "rent" their cable modem boxes. He claims that this is an illegal "tying" arrangement, since most subscribers would probably prefer to just own their modem boxes outright. Modem Box rentals have always been something of a scam. It's just a way to charge more for the monthly service, without having to include this extra "cost" in the price that they advertise to consumers. The guy is even noting that this requirement of renting a specific cable modem harkens back to when AT&T required you to rent your telephone from them. The courts struck that down, so hopefully they'll strike down this practice as well.

Filed Under: antitrust, cable modems, rentals
Companies: time warner cable

Patent Hoarder Going After Cable Companies, TV Broadcasters

from the anyone-and-everyone dept

Here we go with yet another ridiculous patent hoarding company trying to sue anyone and everyone. This time, it's Rembrandt IP, a company that we recently wrote about for gaming the new MercExchange injunction rules. It did so by getting two competitors to fight against each other, allowing only one to license the patent, which the "winner" could then use to force an injunction against the other one (basically, suing two competitors and telling whichever one caved first that it could help put the other out of business). A few weeks back, it unfortunately won that case, and is now gearing up to use the winnings as it claims patents on both the digital TV broadcasting standard and the widely used cable modem standard, DOCSIS. In both cases, it's asking for huge licensing fees. On the broadcasting standard, it may have a tough battle, as it appears that Rembrandt is doing the same thing that the FTC just smacked down another company for doing: basically buying up a patent and then ignoring an earlier agreement on how that patent would be used. In this case, Rembrandt is trying to ignore the fact that AT&T (who originally held the patent) promised to license it for "Reasonable and Non-Discriminatory" (RAND) rates. Either way, though, this is yet another unfortunate example of a hedge fund-backed patent hoarder trying to exploit the system, rather than doing anything to "promote the progress."

Filed Under: cable modems, digital tv, docsis, patents
Companies: rembrandt ip