WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court refused Monday to overturn a $74 million judgment against Doug las County-based Dish Network Corp. for violating a patent held by TiVo Inc. involving digital video recorders.
Without comment, the justices declined to consider Dish’s appeal.
In January, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit agreed with a lower court that digital video recorders distributed by Dish, formerly known as EchoStar Communications Corp., violated the software elements of the patent of Alviso, Calif.-based TiVo. The ruling overturned the lower court’s finding that Dish also infringed on the patent’s hardware elements.
TiVo issued a statement saying it was “extremely pleased” with the Supreme Court’s decision.
Dish said in a statement it will pay TiVo $104 million — representing the $74 million judgment plus interest — “in the next few days.”
Dish Network said the ruling would not affect its customers because the company has issued new DVR software that “does not infringe Tivo’s patent.”
The companies are awaiting a separate decision from a federal trial judge in Texarkana, Texas, on a curtailment of the Dish service and TiVo’s bid for additional damages.
TiVo sued in 2004, alleging that EchoStar infringed on TiVo’s patented technology that allows viewers to record one program while watching another. EchoStar Communications changed its name to Dish in late 2007.
