ActiveVideo Networks filed an injunction against Verizon Communications Aug. 12 to stop the company from using its intellectual property as part of Verizon’s FiOS TV service.
On Aug. 2, jurors awarded ActiveVideo Networks damages totaling $115 million in a patent infringement suit against Verizon Communications. After a three-week trial in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, the jury found Verizon had infringed on intellectual property owned by ActiveVideo as it deployed its FiOS television service. In May 2010, ActiveVideo sued Verizon, alleging that its FiOS system infringed on four of its patents that are fundamental to interactive television services, such as video on demand.
“The decision of the court to uphold our intellectual property rights was very clear,” said Jeff Miller, president and CEO of ActiveVideo Networks. “We insist that Verizon immediately cease its unlawful use of the patented technology developed by the employees and investors of ActiveVideo Networks.”
Press reports indicate Verizon is confident the decision will be reversed on appeal and does not intend to pay any damages while the appeal is pending.
ActiveVideo’s portfolio of patents dates back to the early 1990s. Various cable system operators, including Cablevision, have deployed its CloudTV platform, which supports VOD and various interactive services.
The requested injunction, intended to protect ActiveVideo’s rights as the inventor of the technology, orders Verizon to “cease and desist from further infringement of ActiveVideo’s patents.”
