All Articles Tagged Legal

Jason Knott | 05/23 08:24 AM, 0 Comments

Be sure to check the local laws before you mount an HD antenna and satellite dish these days, especially in a multidwelling unit (MDU). The FCC statute intended to protect the rights of renters to mount a satellite dish anywhere they want on a home, condo or apartment apparently contains a gaping loophole that can allow local municipalities or states to create restrictions on where dishes can be placed. The city of Philadelphia has apparently recognized the loophole and instituted a law that prohibits street-facing mounts. So while an integrator… View this story

Jason Knott | 04/04 08:25 AM, 34 Comments

Many custom integrators will soon find themselves in a very awkward situation - rooting for increased government regulation. More specifically, dealers nationwide will be supporting, either silently or aloud, the institution of a national Internet sales tax. And they should. The online price-shopping by consumers of any product carried by integrators has been taken to new heights with advent of smartphones. Customers will literally look up a product while sitting across the dining room table from an integrator in search of lower online prices. If they find it for $5… View this story

Steve Crowe | 03/30 11:47 AM, 0 Comments

In the latest twist in the never-ending legal battle between Kaleidescape and the DVD CCA, Kaleidescape CEO Michael Malcolm tells CE Pro that the California 6th District Court of Appeal has granted a temporary stay of the injunction handed down by Judge William J. Monahan earlier in March 2012. This means the injunction that would have forced Kaleidescape to stop selling its DVD movie servers will not come into effect on April 8, 2012 as previously ordered, according to Malcolm. "The injunction will not come into effect while the Court… View this story

CE Pro Editors | 03/28 07:26 AM, 0 Comments

Westinghouse has become a licensee under Vizio's QAM patent portfolio by virtue of a cross-license between the two companies. Vizio, which sells through Costco Wholesale, Sam's Club, Walmart, Target, BJ's Wholesale, and other retailers nationwide along with authorized online partners, owns a substantial worldwide patent portfolio directed to digital television technology for its LCD HDTVs. The signing of the QAM License with Westinghouse also concludes actions brought by Vizio. "Having successfully resolved the disputes, we shall continue to aggressively protect our rights and actively expand Vizio’s licensing program," adds Brinkman.… View this story

Jason Knott | 03/02 01:23 PM, 1 Comment

The hubbub over the EPA's lead paint mitigation law seems to never die down. The latest twist is a bill introduced in the U.S. Senate yesterday by Oklahoma Sen. James Inhofe that would allow integrators and other home remodeling contractors to ask clients to forgo following the disposal procedures in the law. The bill specifically allows only homeowners with no children under 6 years old or without pregnant women to bypass the rule. There was a similar provision in the original EPA's Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting rule that would… View this story

Jason Knott | 02/22 07:58 AM, 5 Comments

In a modern day David vs. Goliath, Pinnacle Speakers, a family owned and operated 36-year-old loudspeaker manufacturer, was victorious in binding arbitration against DBL Distributing / Ingram Micro Inc. (NSYE: IM). A panel of three arbitrators found in favor of Pinnacle Speakers in its claims against DBL and Ingram Micro for damages resulting from alleged unauthorized selling of Pinnacle products on the Internet, unfair competition and other breaches of their distribution agreement, according to a press release. The binding arbitration decision also includes a monetary award against DBL Distributing /… View this story

Mitch Klein | 02/17 09:00 AM, 11 Comments

The Internet is the bane of URC’s selling team, yet it’s fertile soil for marketers and shoppers. Putting strategies in place to handle the eventual pricing resistance from some prospects is a wise and necessary step (for both manufacturers and integrators). Shoppers spent much more money online in 2011 than in 2010, and that trend will most certainly continue. Numerous sources of data clearly show the sharp rise in purchasing from online sellers; those of us in the trenches all understand this to be a reality. While online shopping continues… View this story

Rachel Cericola | 02/06 12:16 PM, 4 Comments

The Nest learning thermostat has been receiving a lot of good buzz. But Honeywell isn’t so pleased. Honeywell has filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Nest Labs, alleging that the start-up company has infringed on seven Honeywell patents related to thermostat technology. Filed today in the U.S. District Court in Minnesota, the company also links Best Buy to the lawsuit. Specifically, Honeywell says Nest is infringing on the following patents: U.S. Patent No. 7,634,504 – “Natural Language Installer Set Up for Controller” U.S. Patent No. 7,142,948 – “Controller Interface with… View this story

Jason Knott | 01/04 07:48 AM, 1 Comment

TiVo will receive $215 million from AT&T after mutually settling a patent infringement lawsuit. As part of the settlement, TiVo and AT&T agreed to dismiss all pending litigation between the companies. AT&T agreed to pay TiVo an initial payment of $51 million, followed by recurring quarterly guaranteed payments through June 2018, totaling $164 million, which together yield minimum payments of $215 million. In addition to these minimum payments, AT&T will pay incremental recurring per subscriber monthly license fees through July 2018 should AT&T's DVR subscriber base exceed certain levels. The… View this story

Jason Knott | 12/28 07:38 AM, 1 Comment

Samsung, Sharp, Hitachi, Epson and three other makers of LCDs have agreed to pay more than $553 million to settle price-fixing claims on TVs, notebook computers and monitors, according to Reuters. According to the article, the settlement (Case: TFT-LCD (Flat Panel) Antitrust Litigation, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, No. 07-md-01827) is based upon lawsuits that claimed the manufacturers conspired to inflate prices and stifle competition between 1999 and 2006. The agreement concludes a five-year investigation by authorities from Japan, Korea, the European Union and the United States. The… View this story