Verizon pays out $500 million + to settle two patent disputes

Verizon is facing an expensive payday today, having settled two different lawsuits surrounding patent infringement for DVR technology and having to pay out $510.4 million in costs.

Attention, Verizon customers: Your bills may be taking a slight trend upwards over the next few months, as your provider finds itself saddled with a brand new $500 million+ debt following the settlement of two separate lawsuits surrounding potential patent infringement concerning the company’s Video on Demand technology.

The company announced today that it has settled lawsuits with both TiVo and a company known as ActiveVideo over allegations that Verizon had infringed on proprietary technology relating to VoD, DVR and interactive televisions. In the case of the ActiveVideo settlement, describing it as a settlement is definitely positive spin on Verizon’s part; the situation there is less “settlement” and more “finally agreeing on just how much money to pay in damages,” considering that that particular case had been decided twice in court – once in “regular” court, and once on appeal – and both times decided in ActiveVideo’s favor.

The exact sum Verizon owes ActiveVideo is uncertain at this time; the appeals court ruled that the former company owed $260 million to the latter, but exact terms of the settlement between the two have not been publicly disclosed at this time, meaning that it’s possible that the actual figure is significantly higher.

In addition to that sum, Verizon has also settled a long-lasting dispute with TiVo over DVR technology patents, with the agreement between companies seeing Verizon pay an initial $100 million payment, followed by additional quarterly payments until July, 2018 that will ultimately total somewhere in the region of $150.4 million. Additionally, Verizon will pay monthly fees to continue to use the particular technology if its DVR subscriber base rises above a certain level, and has until December 21 of this year to come to an agreement with TiVo that will see the two essentially go into business together, with – it’s believed, Verizon offering TiVo boxes to its customers. If that happens, then Verizon will earn a $29.4 million credit towards the total $250.4 million it owns TiVo.

(Another possible collaboration would see TiVo boxes carry a streaming video service currently being piloted by Verizon and Constar’s Redbox as a Netflix killer. If the company ends up going with this, then it will be in addition to TiVo’s existing streaming offerings with Netflix and Amazon Prime.)

This is, of course, just one of many patent infringement suits that TiVo has launched over its DVR technology. The outcome, in many cases, mirrors what’s happened here, with all parties either settling out of court, and the court finding in TiVo’s favor, and the infringer ending up paying a monthly fee to essentially license out the technology from that point on. In a statement accompanying news of the settlement, TiVo CEO Tom Rogers seems to recognize that this latest result only strengthens the company in any similar legal action, being quoted as saying that the company “believe[s] this settlement positions us well with respect to future enforceability of our patents.”

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

Apple iPhone 5 jacked up to $3,000 on eBay

Even on launch day, Apple's iPhone 5 costs as much as $3,000 on eBay.

Standing in line for Apple’s new iPhone 5 may have been worth the wait: The device is currently going for as much as $3,000 on eBay — approximately 15 times what you’d pay for a 16GB version with a wireless contract.

Of course, $3,000 for an iPhone 5 is an anomaly, even in the super-inflated eBay market. A quick search shows many in the $700 to $950 range (for the 16GB, carrier-locked version). An “unlocked” iPhone 5 will generally cost you between $1,000 and $1,500 on eBay today, which could be worth it to people who are want the device now, and plan to do some international traveling in the next month.

The iPhone 5, which sports a 4-inch display, 4G LTE connectivity, a faster processor, iOS 6, and (for better or worse) a new “Lightning” dock connector, typically starts at $200 for the 16GB, up to $400 for the 64GB version, with a two-year contract from AT&T, Verizon, or Sprint. But considering that many stores have reportedly sold out of the device, and shipping time for an online order is up to a month away, the jacked up eBay prices may well be worth it.

Fully unlocked versions of the iPhone 5 are not officially available, though Apple will eventually sell the device for $650 and up. However – this is a big however — iDownloadBlog has confirmed that the Verzion (CDMA) version of the iPhone 5 is GSM unlocked, meaning you can pop in an AT&T Micro SIM card, and use it on AT&T’s network.

If you ask us, it’s best to just take a deep breath, and wait for the excitement to calm down and the kinks to work themselves out. But if you’re the impatient (and rich) type, then hit up eBay. There are plenty of iPhone 5s over there.

Check out our full iPhone 5 preview here.

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

New IKEA catalogs feature computer renders, moving away from still photography

In an attempt to cut costs and have more creative freedom, IKEA is pushing toward computer-generated press images rather than photography.

If you’ve ever looked at an IKEA catalog wondering how impossibly flawless the model rooms look, it might be because those pictures aren’t actually stills of a real showroom. According to reports from the Wall Street Journal, IKEA is now pushing toward 3D renderings of marketing pictures instead of real photographs — making our interior design dreams that much more difficult to attain.

The shift toward CGI renderings will both help IKEA cut production costs and think more imaginatively. ”With real photography you’re constrained by the four walls,” Anneli Sjogren, Head of Photography at IKEA, said. “A kitchen has to be built in a week or two and then torn down the following week to make room for a bedroom shoot… everything has to run like clockwork.”

Calling it a “clever way to save money,” Sjogren said with photoshoots, teams would toss out props for the previous shoots, making the entire process wasteful. With virtual renderings, artists can design entire sets for various rooms and adjust the color to appeal to particular audience. For example, American IKEA customers might find darker wood more modern while Europeans might prefer lighter wood hues. Designing the photos in 3D allows for artists to manipulate the changes without setting up new photoshoots.

This year, about 12 percent of photographs found in IKEA catalogs were created virtually. IKEA hopes to increase this margin up to 25 percent by next year. But will you miss the real life photograph?

If you can’t tell the difference between these two pictures, then probably not. One of the photos above is a real set while the other is a digital creation. The ability to make virtual renderings will also help IKEA cut down the time it takes to create a full catalog, which can run up to 10 months from concept to publication. IKEA’s first stab at 3D photographs began in 2005 with just three interns who specialized in graphic design for their graduate school thesis. Now, the Swedish furniture company is collaborating with photo schools to teach its staff of 285 photographers, carpenters, and interior designers more complex computer skills.

And in case you were wondering, the right photo is the 3D-rendered image. To see more photos of real versus fake IKEA photographs, check them out at the Wall Street Journal.

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com