ActiveVideo Awarded $115 Million in Patent Infringement Victory Over Verizon

SAN JOSE, Calif., Aug. 2, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- ActiveVideo Networks™, makers of the CloudTV™ Platform, today was awarded damages totaling $115 million in the jury trial of the company's patent infringement suit against Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ). The decision upholds ActiveVideo's rights as the inventor of industry-leading technology in the delivery of advanced television applications such as video-on-demand (VOD) and interactive TV.

Following three weeks of proceedings, a jury in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia found that Verizon had infringed on all asserted claims of the intellectual property owned by ActiveVideo during the deployment of Verizon's FiOS television service.  

"We're extremely pleased that the judge found that ActiveVideo intellectual property was valid and that the jury found that Verizon infringed on all asserted claims," said Jeff Miller, president and CEO of ActiveVideo Networks.  "We are seeking immediate payment of the damages that have been awarded by the court; in addition, our legal team, Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP, will be filing an injunction against Verizon to prevent any further unlawful use of our technology."

ActiveVideo filed suit against Verizon in May, 2010, alleging that the Verizon FiOS system infringed on four patents for technology created, owned and used by ActiveVideo.  The patents, which are fundamental to interactive television services such as video-on-demand, include:  

• United States Patent No. 6,034,678, titled "Cable Television System With Remote Interactive Processor;"
• United States Patent No. 5,550,578, titled "Interactive And Conventional Television Information System;"
• United States Patent No. 6,100,883, titled "Home Interface Controller for Providing Interactive Cable Television;" and
• United States Patent No. 6,205,582, titled "Interactive Cable Television System with Frame Server."

"We are delighted that this verdict enables us to continue granting our customers unfettered access to the power of our CloudTV™ technology," said Jeff Miller.  "Coupled with the court's ruling invalidating Verizon's  6,381,748 patent, this verdict provides further support for our customer, Cablevision, in their defense against Verizon's injunction claims within the U.S. International Trade Commission."

Having pioneered cloud-based delivery of VOD and interactive television, ActiveVideo has a substantial and fundamental portfolio of patents dating back to the early 1990s.  The ActiveVideo CloudTV™ platform is currently deployed with major cable system operators, including Cablevision.  It offers solutions for video-on-demand navigation, interactive games, and many other interactive services.  

About ActiveVideo Networks

ActiveVideo Networks™ has created CloudTV™, a new apps platform that enables the development and streaming of smart TV apps to any screen, box, or device.  The CloudTV approach of placing the intelligence in the network, not the device, powers an open development and publishing environment for content creators, service providers, and CE manufacturers to quickly and easily create new television experiences for their viewers.  CloudTV simply and efficiently allows limitless content -- including TV Apps, web-to-TV apps, personalized iVOD navigation, and social media sharing and recommendations -- to be delivered uniformly to every cable and IPTV set-top, CI+ enabled television, mobile device, and broadband-connected CE device. ActiveVideo Networks is based in the heart of Silicon Valley, with offices in Los Angeles and Hilversum, the Netherlands. For more information, visit www.activevideo.com; find us at www.facebook.com/ActiveVideoNetworks; follow us at www.twitter.com/activevideo; view our videos at www.youtube.com/AVCloudTV.

SOURCE ActiveVideo Networks