Google, Cisco Pay TiVo $490M For Patent Case

TiVo has received another large settlement payment concerning patent infringement -- this time from Google and Cisco Systems. But some TiVo investors anticipating much more.

The companies agree to pay TiVo a lump-sum payment of $490 million. As part of the settlement, TiVo has struck patent-licensing agreements with Google, Cisco and the Arris Group. Time Warner Cable also settled a lawsuit with TiVo.

But analysts believed TiVo was estimating a $1 billion in settlement money. In midday Friday trading, TiVo stock fell steeply some 18% to $11.29.

The lawsuit initially stemmed from a patent infringement case against Motorola that include TiVo's key technology around its digital video recording.

Last year, Google bought Motorola Mobility for $12.4 billion in cash. Then earlier this year, Google sold about half of Motorola -- Motorola Home, the company's set-top box division for cable TV and internet --  to the Arris Group. Google keeps the part of Motorola Mobility that covers its cell phones, tablets and those related patents.

While TiVo has posted mostly financial losses over the last four years, it has seen major positive results from settlement cases over its patents -- including a $500 million agreement with Dish Network two years ago and at least a $215 million agreement with AT&T last year. It also settled a lawsuit with Verizon.

Overall, TiVo has pulled in some $1.6 billion from settlements over its patents in recent years.

advertisement

advertisement

>
1 comment about "Google, Cisco Pay TiVo $490M For Patent Case".
Check to receive email when comments are posted.
  1. Kevin Killion from Stone House Systems, Inc., June 10, 2013 at 10:27 a.m.

    As an early adopter of TiVo (December 2000), and a continuing fan, I'm happy they got just recognition. But I also hope that they are as vigorous in seeking harmonious relationships with cable and DBS companies as they are in waging legal battles. I can't fathom what they're thinking with their current business model asking customers to pay for a box AND to pay a monthly fee AND to accept advertising AND to buy add-on hardware to get features that should have been in the main box (and which are supplied that way by cable company DVRs). Annoying customers and suing business partners sound more like desperation than like a way to build a long-term business.

Next story loading loading..