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Long-Running License Dispute between PMC and TiVo Ended; Arbitration Ruling from Judge David Folsom, Retired Chief Judge of Eastern District of Texas, Confirms PMC's Position on License Scope
[November 27, 2017]

Long-Running License Dispute between PMC and TiVo Ended; Arbitration Ruling from Judge David Folsom, Retired Chief Judge of Eastern District of Texas, Confirms PMC's Position on License Scope


An Order for Declaratory Relief and Final Judgment entered in the Eastern District of Texas on November 22, 2017 has ended a long running license dispute between Personalized Media Communications LLC ("PMC") and Rovi Corporation ("Rovi" now known as TiVo (News - Alert)) in favor of PMC.

The companies' disagreement centered on language defining the scope of an exclusive patent license granted by PMC to Rovi. The companies retained retired federal judge David Folsom to arbitrate their dispute. In his Statement of Decision and Final Award, Judge Folsom adopted PMC's position and clarified that the license's language meant what has been PMC's position from the time of the license's execution in December 2000.

Gerald Holtzman, PMC's President, stated with respect to Judge Folsom's findings, "We're very pleased that this dispute is finally put to bed. Uncertainty is the enemy of progress in business, so having a definitive ruling on the Rovi license's scope is very important for us. PMC has taken conservative, business-like positions in its dealings from the company's inception. It was particularly gratifying that Judge Folsom confirme the consistency of PMC's position from the very outset of this dispute."



Holtzman added, "For our numerous licensees that make set-top boxes, Judge Folsom has confirmed the scope of their rights in the PMC portfolio. All our existing licensees can be reassured that they have the full range of rights under PMC's patents for which they contracted. Similarly, there's now clear delineation for those companies that may have mistakenly thought they had received an expansive license to PMC's patents via their relationship with Rovi."

PMC was represented by Susman Godfrey LLP in this matter.


About Personalized Media Communications

Personalized Media Communications owns a fundamental intellectual property portfolio developed over thirty years by its chief inventor and founder John C. Harvey. The patents cover the use of control and information signals embedded in electronic media content to generate output for display.

All of the company's currently enforceable patents have either 1981 or 1987 priority dates as a result of patent office delays in re-examining them. They will not begin to expire until 2027. PMC's inventions are platform agnostic. They can be delivered via the Internet, intranet, cellular wireless or cable/satellite networks, and run on PCs, laptops, tablets, smartphones, set-top boxes, televisions, game consoles, and other electronic- media delivery systems. Licensees include Cisco Systems, Motorola (News - Alert) Mobility, Panasonic, Sony and Zynga. For more information visit www.personalizedmedia.com.


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