Videotron has expressed approval of the Federal Court of Appeal’s decision to uphold a lower court ruling that several patents held by U.S. company Adeia Guides Inc., formerly known as ROVI, are invalid.
The patents were allegedly infringed by Videotron’s illico terminal technology. The appellate court’s decision was issued on August 6 and was made public on August 16.
“This Federal Court of Appeal ruling confirming the egregious nature of ROVI’s practices sends a message to tech companies that it’s time to stand up to these patent trolls, which demand outrageously expensive licenses for patents that are ultimately found to be invalid,” said Pierre Karl Péladeau, President and CEO of Quebecor, on Monday.
“This type of tactic is a real problem for our economy. Bear in mind that the patent system was created to protect inventions and reward innovation. Quebecor and Videotron will continue to vigorously defend their interests, as we do in fighting piracy and counterfeiting,” said Péladeau.
In 2022, the Federal Court ruled in favor of Videotron, but Adeia Guides, known at the time as ROVI, chose to appeal the decision. The original lawsuit accused Videotron of infringing on patented technologies related to features such as pausing television, rewinding live broadcasts, programming and saving recordings, and synchronizing settings with various TV guides.
Videotron argued that these inventions were already known and obvious, existing well before ROVI’s patents were filed in 1999, which was reaffirmed by the Federal Court of Appeal.
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