The idiot judge finally ruled a year late, now actg can proceed
Acacia to Appeal V-Chip Rulings
BUSINESS WIRE - September 05, 2003 17:04
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., Sep 5, 2003 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Acacia Research Corporation (Nasdaq:ACTG)(Nasdaq:CBMX) announced today that its wholly owned subsidiary, Soundview Technologies, part of the Acacia Technologies Group, will appeal two Summary Judgment rulings granted by the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut with respect to its V-Chip patent. The rulings involve Soundview's U.S. Patent No. 4,554,584, which relates to television video and audio blanking technology, commonly known as "V-chip" technology.
Soundview has filed a federal patent and anti-trust lawsuit against certain television manufacturers, the Consumer Electronics Manufacturers Association, and the Consumer Electronics Association in the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut, alleging that television sets fitted with V-chips infringe Soundview's patent. In September of 2002, 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 Court recently also granted the defendants Motion for Summary Judgment on Soundview's anti-trust claims, because of the Court's previous ruling of non-infringement.
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's V-Chip Patent expired in July of 2003. |
