Rovi is suing Amazon subsidiary IMDb. Rovi, once known as Macrovision, acquired Gemstar-TV guide in 2008 and by doing so acquired a number of patents pertaining to delivering TV Guides online. Rovi’s Delaware suit claims that IMDb’s TV guides infringe five of its patents. Rovi already licenses its TV Guides to several major media stakeholders including Apple, Cisco, Comcast, DirecTV, Microsoft, Samsung, Sony, Time Warner, Verizon and Yahoo.
The suit is the result of failed discussions between Rovi and Amazon in 2009 with both parties unable to agree to terms.
