Dish Network Victory on Cable Box Ad Patents Upheld
Written March 12, 2020
The US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit on March 6, 2020, upheld Dish Network Corp.‘s win over portions of two patents related to storing personalized ad data on a set-top box. Customedia Techs. LLC v. DISH Network Corp., Fed. Cir., No. 18-2239, 3/6/20. Customedia’s US Patent Nos. 8,719,090 and 9,053,494 cover systems that allow set-top boxes to store broadcaster-transmitted ad data in programmable storage sections that can be leased or sold to advertisers. The PTAB invalidated parts of the patents and the Federal Circuit affirmed, finding the claims were “directed to the abstract idea of using a computer to deliver targeted advertising to a user.”