Acacia Research Subsidiary Soundview Technologies Receives Summary Judgment Ruling in V-Chip Patent Litigation
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 27, 2002-- Acacia Research Corporation (Nasdaq:ACRI) announced today that a Motion for Summary Judgment was granted by the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut finding that television manufacturers named in the Connecticut lawsuit do not infringe Soundview's V-Chip patent.
The suit involves Soundview's U.S. Patent No. 4,554,584, which relates to television video and audio blanking technology, commonly known as "V-chip" technology.
"Given this ruling, we will assess our options with respect to the ongoing aspects of the case, including the anti-trust charges and our options for appeal," according to Paul Ryan, Acacia's Chairman and CEO.
Soundview has filed a federal patent and anti-trust lawsuit against certain television manufacturers, the Consumer Electronics Manufacturers Association, and the Consumer Electronics Association which is pending before the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut, alleging that television sets fitted with V-chips infringe Soundview's patent. Soundview also has another lawsuit pending regarding the V-Chip in the United States District Court for the District of Nevada, against seventeen other television manufacturers.
Soundview has granted non-exclusive licenses for its patented V-Chip technology to Philips Electronics, Hitachi, Samsung Electronics, Funai Electric, Sanyo Manufacturing, L.G. Electronics, Daewoo, Thomson Multimedia, Matsushita, Orion Electric, JVC and Loewe Optica Gmbh and settled its lawsuit with Pioneer Electronics.
Soundview's V-chip technology uses a television's receiver circuitry to decode content rating information sent as part of the broadcast signal. Soundview's lawsuits allege that television manufacturers are utilizing Soundview's patented technology. The 1996 Telecommunications Act requires TV manufacturers to include technology that can screen programming based on content rating codes in new television sets with screens 13 inches or larger sold in the U.S. after July. 1, 1999. Approximately 25 million new televisions are sold each year in the United States.
Soundview Technologies is a wholly owned subsidiary of Acacia Research Corporation. |
