[Satellite Today 06-04-09] A Texas district court judge has ruled that Dish Network and EchoStar Corp. are in contempt of a 2006 ruling that the two companies infringed on a TiVo digital video recorder patent, Dish Network announced June 2.
    As a result of the 2006 ruling favoring TiVo, Dish Network was ordered by a federal judge to stop using the digital video recording service in question and both companies are now ordered to pay $192.7 million to TiVo in damages and interest.
    The June 2 ruling by U.S. Judge David Folsom determined that Dish Network’s software still infringes TiVo’s patent after Dish Network claimed it made changes to the product.
    “EchoStar has gained millions of customers since this court’s injunction was issued, customers that are now potentially unreachable by TiVo,” said Folsom, who refused to delay his order at the request of the defendants. “EchoStar has escaped this court’s injunction for over two years and further delay will be manifestly unjust to TiVo.”
    Dish Network said it would file a motion to stay the order with a U.S. Federal Circuit judge. “We are disappointed in the district court’s decision finding us in contempt … We believe a stay is warranted and that we have strong grounds for appeal,” said Dish Network, in a statement.
    The amount that Dish Network and EchoStar will be ordered to pay as a result of the contempt charge has yet to be determined.