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TV Executives Threaten "Legal Conflict" Over TiVo Transfers to PSP and iPods

By David Walker | November 23rd, 2005 Interest Level: SMOKING HOT


tivo sadIn the never ending love-hate relationship between TiVo and Television Networks, comes this latest lover’s spat (via Variety). Tivo recently announced their intent to modify their TiVoToGo feature to convert recorded programs to formats compatible with the new iPod with Video and the Sony PSP. No sooner did TiVo make the announcement did the rumblings begin. A spokesman from NBC Universal stressed that “This unilateral action creates the risk of legal conflict instead of contributing to the constructive exploitation of digital technology….”

Other Networks were less sue-happy and more apt to explore a potential new market for their content. Kevin Tsujihara of the Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group said, “We’re excited about the fact that people are buying portable devices and are looking for video content on them. It’s potentially a huge market for us.” For now, the new version of TiVoToGo won’t launch in full force until early 2006. Expect many conversations to happen between TiVo and the networks between now and then.

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  • eWeek spoke with two intellectual property attorneys and got the following response:




    "I can't see any legally significant difference between this proposed service by TiVo and the Sony v. Universal Studios case [1984], where time shifting was expressly found to fall within fair use," Dan Ravicher, president and executive director of the Public Patent Foundation and an expert on digital intellectual property, told Ziff Davis Internet in an e-mail.






    "Also, all the music companies are fine with the exact same activity, as they don't go after companies that sell CD-ripping software or MP3 players, which allow consumers to do with music what TiVo proposes allowing them to do with video.





    "Heck, VCRs allow people to record shows on tape, which they can then play in their car, office, or other location from the site of recording. So, all in all, I can't say NBC is 100 percent absolutely and without a doubt wrong, as the law is too unpredictable and unstable for that conclusion, but odds are very much strongly against them."





    It's about time we got some favorable leverage!
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