PASADENA, CALIF. -Demonstrating that it will file no suit before its time, Gemstar-TV Guide’s StarSight Telecast subsidiary issued in U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina a patent infringement suit against EchoStar for using an onscreen-programming guide during the past five years.
StarSight is seeking an injunction and monetary damages but didn’t reveal why it waited so long to bring the suit.
“While Gemstar-TV Guide keeps an open licensing policy and has always been ready to offer licensing terms to accommodate licensee needs, Gemstar is equally ready to vigorously enforce its intellectual property rights,” said Jonathan Orlick, senior VP of intellectual property. “Gemstar will diligently prosecute infringers of its patents, trademarks, copyrights and other intellectual property, and will seek redress to the fullest extent of the law.”
An EchoStar spokesperson said the satellite service provider is confident that its system did not infringe any of the StarSight patents.
