Tivo Wins Another $200 Million Against Dish Network and EchoStar
Tivo has been awarded $200 million in damages in the lawsuit with Dish Network Corp. and EchoStar Corp. Tivo says that Dish Network stole its patented information to create its DVR service. The damages are on hold right now until Dish and EchoStar's appeal is heard. Tivo's original lawsuit asked for $1 billion in damages for the theft of its proprietary technology that allows viewers to pause, rewind and fast-forward live television.
"We are pleased by the Court's ruling to impose contempt sanctions of approximately $200 million against EchoStar for its continued violation of a Court-ordered permanent injunction," TiVo said in a statement.
Dish and EchoStar, which are sister companies, remain optimistic about the appeals process.
"While we disagree that any amount of sanctions was warranted, the decision confirms our belief that we designed around Tivo's patent in good faith. We believe that we ultimately will prevail on appeal," the companies said in a joint statement.
TiVo has largely won the cases held at the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, although both sides have scored procedural victories in a parallel intellectual property case looked at in the U.S. Patent Office.
A jury granted TiVo $103 million plus interest in June.
With prior rulings in the case, Tivo has been awarded around $400 million in damages, sanctions and costs.
