TiVo Relaunching As a Patent Troll?

An anonymous reader writes "TiVo's quarterly call was a bit more dramatic than usual. While they continue to lose customers and innovate 'at a very unhurried pace,' TiVo seeks a repeat DISH Network performance in going after AT&T (T) and Verizon (VZ) for infringement. Basically, TiVo's current business model appears to be ad sales and patent trolling."

Comments

Re:Not all that trollish!

[DragonWriter]

So the originator should be the only one to produce that item and should have the market to themselves? Thats ridiculous.

Ridiculous or not, that the whole idea of patents, as a means of providing a reward for innovation and thereby encouraging innovation. To quote the provision of the US Constitution enabling patents and copyrights: "The Congress shall have the power [...] [t]o promote the progress of science and useful arts, by securing for limited times to authors and inventors the exclusive right to their respective writings and discoveries."

Thats like only have Ford cars

Well, if Ford had invented the car, sure, it would be like only having Ford cars for a brief period after Ford invented them.