ITC Votes to Institute Investigation on Products w/ Interactive Program Guides & Parental Controls Patent Complaint
The International Trade Commission voted to institute an investigation of certain products containing interactive program guide and parental control technology (337-TA-845). The products at issue in this investigation are televisions, media players, and software applications that include interactive programs guides or parental control technology in a specified format.
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The investigation is based on a complaint filed by Rovi Corporation; Rovi Guides, Inc.; Rovi Technologies Corporation; Starsight Telecast, Inc.; and United Video Properties, Inc., all of Santa Clara, CA and Index Systems, Inc. of the British Virgin Islands on May 1, 2012. The complaint alleges violations of section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930 in the importation into the U.S. and sale of certain products containing interactive program guide and parental control technology that infringe patents asserted by the complainants. The complainants request that the USITC issue an exclusion order and a cease and desist order.
The ITC identified the following as respondents in this investigation:
- LG Electronics, Inc., of the Republic of Korea;
- LG Electronics U.S.A., Inc. of Englewood Cliffs, NJ;
- Mitsubishi Electric Corp. of Japan;
- Mitsubishi Electric US Holdings, Inc., of Cypress, CA;
- Mitsubishi Electric and Electronics USA, Inc., of Vernon Hills, IL;
- Mitsubishi Electric Visual Solutions America, Inc., of Irvine, CA;
- Mitsubishi Digital Electronics America, Inc., of Irvine, CA;
- Netflix, Inc., of Los Gatos, CA;
- Roku, Inc., of Saratoga, CA; and
- Vizio, Inc., of Irvine, CA.
(See ITT's Online Archives 12050244 for summary of the original complaint, and 12050421 for summary of ITC's request for comments relating to the original complaint.)