Gemstar has a lock on the market because of their IP.
They sell to cable companies.
Cable companies have little choice but to buy from Gemstar unless competition rears its ugly head. To do that you have to make an IPG that doesn't infringe on their patents.
Very very difficult to do--but it's being done now. Just not by TiVO.
As an employee of DIVA, I've seen a little bit about GemStar's patents.
1) They ahve almost everything you can imagine about doing stuff in the cable set top box itself, including some really ridiculous asset injection stuff which is not really even related to an IPG (Interactive Program Guide).
2) DIVA has an IPG that we announced at Western Cable last month. TV Guide (Gemstar) was just about to invest a fair sum of money in us, and then immediately backed out when we would not pull our IPG from the show.
3) We don't infringe on their patents by doing it all on the server.
4) Heck yea, we patented everything we could, lest Gemstar patent it first.
5) Gemstar currently has a lock on the IPG market. Scientific Atlanta's SARA is being pretty much discontinued, I believe, because of the patent infringements. Since Gemstar and TV Guide merged they're the only interactive program guide available, nowadays, and they charge MSOs (your cable companies) a fortune so YOU can have an inferior guide.
6) Gemstar will win this in court, from everything I've heard. The patents are solid, and unfortunately there is big legal precedent for stupid patents of this nature.
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Gemstar has a lock on the market because of their IP.
They sell to cable companies.
Cable companies have little choice but to buy from Gemstar unless competition rears its ugly head. To do that you have to make an IPG that doesn't infringe on their patents.
Very very difficult to do--but it's being done now. Just not by TiVO.
1) They ahve almost everything you can imagine about doing stuff in the cable set top box itself, including some really ridiculous asset injection stuff which is not really even related to an IPG (Interactive Program Guide).
2) DIVA has an IPG that we announced at Western Cable last month. TV Guide (Gemstar) was just about to invest a fair sum of money in us, and then immediately backed out when we would not pull our IPG from the show.
3) We don't infringe on their patents by doing it all on the server.
4) Heck yea, we patented everything we could, lest Gemstar patent it first.
5) Gemstar currently has a lock on the IPG market. Scientific Atlanta's SARA is being pretty much discontinued, I believe, because of the patent infringements. Since Gemstar and TV Guide merged they're the only interactive program guide available, nowadays, and they charge MSOs (your cable companies) a fortune so YOU can have an inferior guide.
6) Gemstar will win this in court, from everything I've heard. The patents are solid, and unfortunately there is big legal precedent for stupid patents of this nature.