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Media contact: PAUSE TECHNOLOGY COMMENCES PATENT INFRINGEMENT LAWSUIT AGAINST TIVOBoston, October 2 - Pause Technology LLC has announced that on Tuesday, September 28th, it filed a lawsuit against Tivo Inc, (NASDAQ:TIVO) for patent infringement. Filed in the U.S. District Court in Boston by the law firm of Hale and Dorr LLP, the lawsuit alleges that Tivo's personal video recorder (PVR) infringes U.S. Reissue Patent No. 36,801, entitled "Time Delayed Digital Video System Using Concurrent Recording and Playback." The patent is owned by Pause Technology. The patent relates to technology that allows viewers to pause live TV, replay portions of a program while it is being recorded, and fast-forward through recorded segments to "catch up" to a live broadcast being recorded. The patent covers both video and audio systems. The infringed patent, U.S. Patent RE 36,801, the "Pause Patent", was originally filed in 1992 and issued in 1995. In 1996, a re-examination was requested, and on August 1, 2000 the patent was reissued by the Patent Office with the same filing date and additional claim coverage. TiVo was notified on April 4th, 2000 and again on May 23, 2001 that it was infringing on the patent and an offer to discuss licensing terms was extended. Earlier this year, Motorola became the first company to license the Pause Patent for its forthcoming line of PVR-enabled set-top boxes. Pause Technology is engaged in on-going discussions with several other potential licensees through its exclusive distributor Gotuit Video, Inc. Licenses are being offered to manufacturers of PVRs, set-top boxes with built-in storage, and other devices that can record and pause live TV signals. About Pause Technology, LLC Pause Technology, www.pausetechnology.com, licenses patented technology that adds value to TV set-top boxes and personal video recorders, as well as products that record radio broadcasts. By digitizing, compressing and storing live broadcast programming in a mass-storage device operating under microprocessor control, the patented systems allow listeners and viewers to pause, rewind and replay, or skip live programming using VCR-like controls. The system automatically captures the incoming live program from the selected station, even when the system is replaying a previously broadcast portion. About Gotuit Video Gotuit Video, Inc. www.gotuit.com, offers enhanced services and software to manufacturers of PVRs and their satellite and cable operator customers. The Company's flagship product, Gotuit TV, allows viewers to index and segment the stored programming on their PVR in order to facilitate navigation within a program and to personalize playback. For instance, a news program could be segmented into its component stories allowing the viewer to skip easily from story to story or to have the system automatically play back only the stories of interest. Gotuit is also the exclusive marketing agent for the Pause Patent. |