Acacia licenses patents from Thomson SA

from a press release, Feb. 2, 2005:

Acacia Research Corporation announced today that KY Data Systems, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary that is part of the Acacia Technologies Group, has entered into a non-exclusive, paid-up license with Thomson SA covering a portfolio of patents that apply to interactive television.


The patents, which are a part of the recently completed acquisition of 27 patent portfolios by Acacia from Global Patent Holdings, cover receivers such as set-top boxes and certain televisions used in digital satellite and digital cable systems that permit television viewers to access interactive television features supplied by their satellite and cable providers as part of their digital programming packages. Data, which is associated with the interactive television features and is broadcast along with the video signal, is extracted and processed by components within the receivers, and is then made available to viewers who choose to access the interactive television features through their remote control. Examples of such data include sports scores, weather information, stock updates, interactive games, and movie listings.