TiVo 2007 Annual Report Download - page 15

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in a digital device, including the functions that enable DVRs to pause live TV as well as rewind, fast-forward, play, play faster, play slower, and
play in reverse television signals cached by the DVR. We refer to this as the "TrickPlay" patent. The expiration date of the TrickPlay patent is
April 3, 2018.
• U.S. patent number 6,792,195 entitled Method and Apparatus Implementing Random Access and Time-Based Functions on a Continuous Stream
of Formatted Digital Data, which is a continuation of the TrickPlay patent. The expiration date of this patent is likewise April 3, 2018.
• U.S. patent 6,233,389, entitled Multimedia Time Warping System, originally filed on July 30, 1998, which describes many of the key inventions
associated with the TiVo-enabled DVR software and hardware design. We refer to this as the "TimeWarp" patent. Key inventions claimed in the
patent include a method for recording one program while playing back another or watching a program as it is recording, often referred to as time-
shifting the program; a method for efficient and low-cost processing and synchronizing of the various multimedia streams in a television signal
such as video, audio, and closed-captioning, and a storage format that easily supports advanced TrickPlay capabilities. The expiration date of the
TimeWarp patent is July 30, 2018.
TiVo has also acquired the exclusive right to license and enforce U.S. patent number 5,241,428 entitled Variable-Delay Video Recorder known in the
industry as the Goldwasser Patent. Filed in March 1991, the Goldwasser Patent is one of the earliest patents regarding digital video recorders of which we are
aware. This patent covers devices that permit the simultaneous recording and playback of video material with a variable time delay between recording and
playback of a given video program segment. The expiration date of the Goldwasser Patent is March 12, 2011.
We have also purchased 12 foreign and domestic patents and 6 foreign patent applications from International Business Machines Corporation, or IBM.
These patents and patent applications generally relate to audience research measurement, integration of television signals with internet access, automatic
rescheduling of recordings, content screening, enhanced program information search, and electronic program guide interface enhancements.
Additionally, on September 28, 2006, we entered into a patent cross license agreement with IBM, under which we paid certain cash considerations to
IBM, and each party granted to the other a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to such party's patents that are entitled to a priority date on or before
September 28, 2006, including all patents and patent applications in existence as of that date with limited exceptions. The license granted by IBM to us
extends to all products other than general purpose data processing products and data storage devices that are primarily sold separately from other hardware.
The license that we granted to IBM extends to all products, other than digital media recorders and digital media recorder software. No license was granted,
directly or by implication, to permit the combination of any product with any other item.
Among others, we have secured U.S. registrations for the marks "TiVo," the TiVo logo, the "WishList," "TiVo Central," "TiVolution," "Overtime
Scheduler," Ascending sound mark, Descending Sound Mark, the Thumbs Up logo, and the Thumbs Down logo. We have filed many other trademark
applications covering substantially all of our trade dress, sound effects, logos, and slogans, including: "Season Pass," "StopllWatch", "Mevo," "Mivo,"
Speedup sound marks, Select sound mark, Thumbs Up sound mark, TiVo sound mark, Error sound mark, "Thumbs Up," and "Thumbs Down." These
applications are currently pending with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Additionally, we have international trademark applications pending for several
of these trademarks. We have licensed the use of our name and logo to some of our customers and consumer electronics manufacturers. We anticipate
ongoing progress in our establishment of a defensible and useful intellectual property portfolio; however, we cannot assure you that current patents will be
enforceable or our current patent applications will ever be allowed or granted. See Part I, Item 1A, "Risk Factors – Our success depends on our ability to
secure and protect our patents, trademarks, and other proprietary rights" and "Pending Intellectual Property Litigation" for additional information concerning
our intellectual property.
Privacy Policy
We have adopted a privacy policy, which we make available on our website and deliver to each new subscriber to the TiVo service. This policy was last
updated in May 2006 to cover new features that we have introduced and plan to introduce in the future. This policy explains that we collect certain types of
information such as anonymous viewing and diagnostic information, but all viewing-information that is linked or associated with an individual identity will
not be disclosed without the viewer's affirmative consent. We further give subscribers the ability to "opt-out" from the collection of anonymous viewing
information and diagnostic information log files.
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