BBiTV dismisses VOD patent infringement suit against Dish Network

Broadband iTV (BBiTV) said that it has resolved and dismissed a patent infringement suit filed against Dish Network.

BBiTV’s portfolio includes more than 70 issued U.S. patents and the infringement suit is specifically related to VOD services using set top box and mobile app technology the company said was developed and invented by BBiTV CTO Milton Diaz.

"We are pleased to have the litigation completed and are proud of BBiTV's patented technologies," said BBiTV CEO Clifton Kagawa in a statement. "BBiTV developed the underlying technology that all of its patents were derived from, and BBiTV has not acquired any of its patents from third parties."

BBiTV has filed similar suits against AT&T, Amazon and DirecTV.

RELATED: Broadcom sues Netflix over alleged patent infringement that drove more cord cutting

“BBiTV is a pioneer in VOD technology and services as we know it,” said Rob Kramer, partner at Feinberg Day Kramer Alberti Lim Tonkovich & Belloli, the law firm representing BBiTV. “These patents are the culmination of a lifetime of hard work and passion for innovation. BBiTV will vigorously defend its intellectual property against Amazon as it is against AT&T, DirecTV and Dish Network.”

BBiTV was founded in 2001 in Hawaii. The company said its development products include an interactive community channel and a web platform enabling direct to television video publishing. The company also said it partnered with Oceanic Time Warner Cable (now Charter) to establish the one of the first long-form informational video channels.

At the same time, Sling TV, via parent company Dish Network, is pursuing its own legal action against Peloton, Icon Health & Fitness (which makes NordicTrack) and Lululemon over alleged streaming technology patent infringement.

The suits were filed in April in federal courts in Texas and Delaware, and accuse all three fitness companies of infringing on a Dish Network patent that “allows Internet users to stream content from across the world in real time at the highest possible quality,” according to Bloomberg.