TiVo expanded intellectual property agreements with CommScope, it said Tuesday. The multiyear deal licenses patents for CommScope products, including Arris set-top platforms, it said.
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U.S. unlocked smartphone owners grew to 50.1 million active users at the end of Q1, up 8% from the same 2019 quarter, reported NPD Thursday. “Unlocked smartphone users, who generally tend to be more tech-savvy than average smartphone users, unsurprisingly over-indexed in their awareness of the 5G technology.” NPD canvassed 1,500 unlocked smartphone adults in May, and found 42% said they would be very or extremely interested in buying a 5G smartphone, compared with only 31% of locked phone owners.
DOJ’s Antitrust Division will host a virtual workshop July 28-29 on “competition in the licensing of public performance rights in the music industry.” DOJ said it will be an opportunity for public feedback on the ASCAP and BMI consent decrees (see 2002050052) and implications for antitrust law enforcement. Comments are due July 22. Panelists will discuss whether certain terms “should be modified, and whether the decrees are inhibiting innovative business models that may hurt consumers or artists,” Justice said. Speakers will include executives, performing rights organizations, songwriters, music publishers, music licenses and legal and economic experts.
Strong enforcement against unfair trade practices “boosts U.S. exports, facilitates innovation, and supports job creation here at home,” the Alliance for Trade Enforcement wrote U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer Wednesday. The alliance is a coalition of trade associations and business groups, including MPA, RIAA and the Telecommunications Industry Association. To end bad trade behavior, the alliance “supports actions and policies that encourage U.S. trading partners to open their markets, reduce barriers to trade, and provide effective protection and enforcement of intellectual property (IP) rights,” it said. With the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement on free trade now in effect, “we must ensure that Canada and Mexico abide by the commitments that they have made and treat U.S. interests fairly,” the letter said. It hails the “important leap forward” of USMCA’s digital trade provisions,” it said. Mexico has been a “major source of camcorded movies” uploaded to the internet, “facilitating international piracy of American content,” it said. USMCA requires Mexico to impose “enhanced criminal remedies into its national law,” it said. USTR didn’t comment.
Nokia seeks a limited exclusion order banning imports of Lenovo laptops, desktops, tablets, smart home devices and components that allegedly infringe five of its patents, said a Tariff Act Section 337 complaint (login required) filed July 2 with the International Trade Commission. Four of the patents involve H.264 video compression, the fifth concerns user interfaces. Nokia’s complaint identifies Lenovo’s ThinkPad, IdeaPad and Flex lines of laptops as copying its patented technology. “Nokia does not currently seek to exclude Lenovo products that include cellular functionality,” it said. Nokia also seeks cease and desist orders banning import and sale of infringing merchandise from Lenovo. Comments are due to the ITC by July 17. Lenovo didn't comment Wednesday.
Kiss Library runs virtual bookstores advertising "‘unbeatable prices’ for a simple reason: its catalogs are replete with pirated ebooks,” Amazon and Penguin Random House alleged (in Pacer) in U.S. District Court in Seattle. Kiss Library’s illegal actions “divert potential customers to its sites, where authors and publishers do not receive any royalties for the sales,” it said Tuesday. John Grisham, Doug Preston, Monique Truong, Scott Turow and eight other authors joined as plaintiffs. “This lawsuit aims to bring down” Kiss Library to stop its “notorious pirating and unlawful copying, display, distribution, and sale of their ebooks” in the U.S., it said. Kiss Library didn’t comment.
Apple seeks declaratory judgment iPhones don’t infringe two Zipit Wireless instant messaging patents, said its complaint (in Pacer) in U.S. District Court in San Francisco. Zipit alleged infringement June 11 in U.S. District Court in Atlanta, then voluntarily dismissed the lawsuit without prejudice two weeks later. Zipit maintained through years of negotiations that Apple “required a license,” but Apple disagreed, and the two sides never reached an accord, said Friday's complaint. It’s “highly likely” Zipit will again sue, it said: “The cloud of Zipit’s allegations and litigation hangs over Apple.” There’s a “real, immediate, and justiciable controversy,” it said. A “judicial declaration is necessary” to resolve it, said the complaint. Zipit didn’t comment Monday.
The International Trade Commission set the first settlement conference for Aug. 7 in its Tariff Act Section 301 investigation into Sharp allegations that Vizio and its suppliers are infringing five Sharp LCD display patents (see 2007010053). The second settlement conference is scheduled for Dec. 17, said Administrative Law Judge Dee Lord’s order (login required) posted in docket 337-TA-1201. Lord’s order set a Sept. 27, 2021, target date for completing the investigation.
The HBO Go app won’t be available on most devices as of July 31, WarnerMedia advised customers in a Wednesday email announcing “important changes." The AT&T company told subscribers they can sign into HBO Max, launched in May (see report, May 28), with provider credentials “just as you did for HBO GO.” Roku and Amazon Fire TV customers lack access to HBO Max through those devices. Those who have provider credentials through an MVPD can sign into Max as they did for Go, WarnerMedia said. Roku is “disappointed that HBO will no longer give consumers access to HBO GO -- and that HBO is taking this action when so many people are at home,” a Roku spokesperson emailed Wednesday. The streaming platform has “asked HBO to reconsider their decision since it only harms the existing HBO consumers who will no longer be able to access their subscription on the device of their choosing,” she said. “Unfortunately they are still planning to shut down HBO GO.” Roku customers can access their HBO subscriptions across the Roku platform, the spokeswoman said, through Comcast, Charter and AT&T TV channels on the Roku platform. They can subscribe directly to HBO on The Roku Channel, she said. Amazon declined to comment. WarnerMedia didn’t respond to questions.
The Copyright Office extended until Aug. 5 its deadline for comments on a rulemaking on modernizing recordation of notices of termination, it announced Tuesday.