Interactive TV software maker OpenTV has filed a patent lawsuit against Apple and its services and products, including iTunes, accusing it of infringing upon five of its patents related to streaming video.
The civil suit was filed Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, and OpenTV is seeking undisclosed compensation for the alleged patent infringement, according to Re/code.
OpenTV alleges Apple’s software to allow downloading and streaming of rented movies violates patents it holds related to securely delivering media to consumer devices. The suit claims other firms, including Disney and Google, have licensed its technology.
OpenTV is best known as an early provider of interactive TV software used in set-top TV boxes. The company is now a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Kudelski Group, and creates software for on-demand video services and digital video recorders. (So, not your average patent troll.) The company holds over 4,400 pending and issued patents related to the secure delivery of media.
A Tyler, Texas district court ordered Apple to pay $532.9 million to SmartFlash LLC back in February, for infringing against the patent licensing firm’s patents relating to data storage, digital rights management, and access via payment systems. Apple has said they will appeal the decision. SmartFlash has also filed a second suit against the Cupertino firm, looking for a payday for allegedly infringing devices Apple introduced following the filing of the original lawsuit.
