ACT Applauds TiVo-Echostar Settlement as Victory for Small Business Intellectual Property Rights

The Association for Competitive Technology today applauded the settlement reached between TiVo and Echostar as a victory for intellectual property rights.  ACT submitted two amicus briefs in the case supporting TiVo in its case against Echostar.  ACT’s Morgan Reed issued the following statement in response to the settlement.

Today’s settlement marks a decisive moment for startups and small business innovators.  Despite the widespread adoption of its DVR, TiVo remains a small business.  Like other small companies, it can compete with massive companies like EchoStar by creating game-changing new technologies.  TiVo had a great new product that changed the way we watch TV, but had to fight more than a decade to keep Echostar from stealing it.

Last month’s court decision, and today’s resulting settlement, was a big victory for startups.  It  showed that courts will protect the intellectual property of a small business no matter how many resources a big company throws at them.  This is crucial for entrepreneurs because they will only take risks making new companies and technologies if they are certain their innovation will be protected from copycats and thieves.