Another Legal Round For DISH And TIVO

DISH Network has scored a victory in it's legal struggle against TIVO.  A judge has ruled that since the field is densely populated with DVRs competiting with TIVO, that DISH has a legal right to re-examine original decisions that now seem mute.  But does that really mean it's all over but the shouting?

Back in 2005, DISH, then Echostar, was gearing up to use DVR technology from IBM.  TIVO sued claiming that the IBM DVR technology was too similar to TIVO in the way it stored digital video content and, therefore violated several of their patents.  DISH countersued and lost, forcing them to discontinue development of their own DVR.  But since every cable company and even DISH competitor DirecTV has their own DVR technology, it seems only fair that DISH get to play, and so the judge ruled in their favor.  But this is just another legal skirmish in a long war of attrition.

[via The Hollywood Reporter]