Acacia Research Subsidiary to Receive $9.49 Million in Licensing Payments in First Four Months of 2001.Business Editors/High-Tech Writers PASADENA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 3, 2001 Acacia acacia (əkā`shə), any plant of the large leguminous genus Acacia, often thorny shrubs and trees of the family Leguminosae (pulse family). Research Corporation (Nasdaq:ACRI) announced today that its majority-owned subsidiary majority-owned subsidiary A firm in which more than 50% of outstanding voting stock is owned by the parent company. , Soundview Technologies, Incorporated, has received or is scheduled to receive an aggregate of $9,490,000 in licensing payments during the first four months of 2001 from non-exclusive licenses of its U.S. Patent 4,554,584 that it has granted to date. The company has granted non-exclusive licenses or settled its lawsuit with seven manufacturers of televisions sold in the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. . Each settlement agreement has required that both parties keep the financial terms of the settlement confidential. Soundview's patent relates to television video and audio blanking technology, commonly known as V-chip technology. Soundview had previously announced that it has granted non-exclusive licenses to Philips Electronics, Hitachi, Samsung Electronics Samsung Electronics (SEC, Hangul:삼성전자; KSE: 005930, KSE: 005935, LSE: SMSN, LSE: SMSD) is a South Korean multinational corporation and the world's largest and leading electronics and information technology company. , Funai Electric Co., Sanyo Manufacturing Corp. and L.G. Electronics, and settled its lawsuit with Pioneer Electronics. Soundview's V-chip technology, invented by Carl Elam, uses a television's receiver circuitry to decode content rating information sent as part of the broadcast signal. By utilizing the broadcast signal that carries closed-caption data, Soundview's technology is relatively inexpensive to implement. The industry and its trade association adopted this method as the technical standard for new television sets sold in the United States that are required to have V-chip technology. Federal law requires implementation of the industry-adopted standard. The 1996 Telecommunications Act There are several laws named the Telecommunications Act
Soundview has filed a federal patent and antitrust lawsuit against television manufacturers, the Consumer Electronics Manufacturers Association, and the Consumer Electronics Association. In its lawsuit, pending before the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut The United States District Court for the District of Connecticut is the Federal district court whose jurisdiction is the state of Connecticut. The court has offices in Bridgeport, Hartford and New Haven. , Soundview alleges that television sets fitted with V-chips infringe Soundview's patent. Additionally, Soundview alleges that the Consumer Electronics Manufacturers Association has induced infringement of the patent and that the defendants have violated the federal Clayton and Sherman Antitrust Acts Sherman Antitrust Act, 1890, first measure passed by the U.S. Congress to prohibit trusts; it was named for Senator John Sherman. Prior to its enactment, various states had passed similar laws, but they were limited to intrastate businesses. by engaging in collusive col·lu·sive adj. Acting in secret to achieve a fraudulent, illegal, or deceitful goal. col·lu  sive·ly adv. attempts to prevent others in the electronics and television
broadcasting industries from entering into licensing agreements with
Soundview Technologies. Soundview is seeking monetary damages Monetary damages, in civil law, refers to compensation given to an injured party by a liable party. Monetary damages may be restitution, a penalty, or both. , an
injunction preventing unlicensed use of its patented technology, and
other remedies.
Acacia Research owns 66.7% of Soundview Technologies. ABOUT SOUNDVIEW TECHNOLOGIES INCORPORATED Soundview Technologies has acquired and developed intellectual property in the telecommunications field, including audio and video blanking systems, also known as V-chip technology. Soundview owns the exclusive right and title to U.S. Patent No. 4,554,584, which describes a cost efficient method for implementing the V-chip system in parallel with the existing closed-captioning circuits already in place in televisions. ABOUT ACACIA RESEARCH CORPORATION Acacia Research develops and operates life science and enabling technology companies. The company's core technology opportunity has been developed through its subsidiary, CombiMatrix Corporation. Acacia Research intends to build and acquire companies in the life science and material science fields that will utilize CombiMatrix's biochip biochip Small-scale device, analogous to an integrated circuit, constructed of or used to analyze organic molecules associated with living organisms. One type of theoretical biochip is a small device constructed of large organic molecules, such as proteins, and capable of technology. Acacia Research's website is located at www.acaciaresearch.com. |
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