Macrovision, NDS in Multi-Year EPG Patent-Licensing Deal

Macrovision, the company which last year acquired the US's dominant EPG developer, Gemstar-TV Guide, announced Monday that it has signed a multi-year license agreement for its EPG patents with interactive TV and conditional access technology provider, NDS. According to the company, the new agreement provides NDS with a license to the various EPG patents contained in Macrovision's Gemstar patent portfolio (note: Macrovision holds around 4,200 issued or pending patents), and allows NDS to offer licensed EPG's to its pay-TV operator customers in a number of specified countries. "NDS is a true innovator in digital pay-TV technology and applications," Macrovision president and CEO, Fred Amoroso, said in a prepared statement. "Customers of NDS include many of the world's leading pay-TV operators, and we are delighted to welcome NDS to our patent-licensing program." Added NDS chairman and CEO, Abe Peled: "As the market leader in digital TV solutions, NDS strives to help its customers deliver a world-class TV experience to viewers. We believe operators will benefit from having the option to license Gemstar's EPG patents alongside NDS' own leading technology and service offerings. We are therefore pleased to join Gemstar's patent-licensing program to enhance our market offering for our customers' benefit."