Two measurement rivals are taking issues to court docket.
What’s occurring
On Wednesday, measurement large Nielsen filed a go well with in Delaware District Courtroom towards VideoAmp for patent infringement, alleging the rival measurement firm violated two expertise patents just lately issued to Nielsen. The patents relate to the strategies and equipment for figuring out the length of viewing periods.
Why is that this occurring?
In an announcement to ADWEEK, Nielsen stated it “takes nice delight in our work to develop main applied sciences and processes that ship trusted viewers measurement to our prospects.”
“As is commonplace enterprise apply, we’ll proceed to vigorously defend our mental property rights to the fullest extent doable,” the assertion continued.
Mainly, this implies the battle for measurement is heating up, and Nielsen’s lawsuit submitting signifies that it believes VideoAmp is utilizing its patented expertise to contribute to its measurement information, which has “irreparably harmed Nielsen.”
With the submitting, Nielsen is seeking to cease VideoAmp from “any additional unauthorized use of Nielsen’s patented expertise” and is looking for to get better damages, “together with misplaced earnings, elevated damages, cheap attorneys’ charges and different such reduction because the Courtroom deems simply and correct for VideoAmp’s violation of federal regulation.”
What’s the expertise?
In keeping with the lawsuit, the patents “are directed to, amongst different issues, programs, strategies and apparatuses for enhancing viewers measurement expertise by accumulating tuning session information from media output units.” This consists of set-top packing containers (STBs), presentation session information from panelist meters or different sources and “fashions to extra precisely decide viewers viewing in households offering the tuning session information.”
Amongst different issues, the lawsuit alleges the expertise in query helps get rid of phantom viewing, which might occur when the STB is on however the TV isn’t.
Wait, why is that this acquainted?
If a Nielsen lawsuit looks like Deja Vu, that’s as a result of they’ve been right here earlier than.
Nielsen has taken related motion towards different firms, together with TVision, HyphaMetrics and ACRCloud, because it seems to cease what it views as violations from startups seeking to achieve a foothold within the measurement house.