April 15, 2006

TiVo Wins Lawsuit Against Echostar, Protects Patents

In case you hadn't already heard, TiVo's aforementioned lawsuit against Echostar for infringement of the company's patents, most specifically related to "time shifting" of television shows, was resolved quickly, with a jury awarding the DVR company more than $73 million in damages, and issuing the first salvo in what could be the first of many court dramas involving TiVo. On the heels of my whining that I had missed out on TiVo's recent stock run from $6 to $8, I had jumped back in at the $8 mark Wednesday, and saw that trade take a positive 22% bounce after market hours Thursday night. While I don't have anything resembling a massive nest egg, I'm definitely picking and pulling wherever I can to increase the bottom line, and this one looks good so far.

Regarding the lawsuit, it's great to see technology innovators rewarded for their investment in R&D (research and development). Too often, competition so closely mimics a product's attributes and offers only price as a differentiator, which while temporarily beneficial to consumers, damages development in the long run, as the original market maker may fall on hard times. Many had speculated that if TiVo lost this round of the lawsuit against Echostar, the company's viability would be very much in jeopardy. For now, that decision has been postponed.

Listening to ''Requiem For A Dream (Leama's D'', by Paul Oakenfold (Play Count: 12)