MARSHALL, Texas — Vivid Entertainment, Penthouse Digital, Adam & Eve and Bang Productions have been named in a lawsuit filed by Houston-based Inmotion Imagery Technologies.
The action, according to a story filed by www.xbiz.com involves a patent infringement involving a video-indexing processes that uses thumbnail images during DVD navigation.
Also named in the suit filed at U.S. District court in Marshall, Texas are Walt Disney Studios, New Line Home Entertainment, Magnolia Pictures, Anchor Bay Entertainment, Warner Bros. and the Weinstein Co.
The claim of patent infringement, says the story, could raise the threshold of alarm throughout the adult industry and beyond because DVDs typically use introduction thumbnail video teasers under various categories that could be targeted by patent holder Inmotion.
Inmotion claims the adult and mainstream companies haven't made deals to use the technology detailed in U.S. Patent No. 6,526,219. As a result, Inmotion has filed suit against the companies.
The federal court in Marshall is reputedly popular for patent lawsuits because of swift action dealing with complex infringement cases with little time to prepare; quick trials, plaintiff-friendly juries and huge payouts. Patent holders win 78 percent of the time, compared with an average of 59 percent nationwide, according to LegalMetric, a company that tracks patent litigation.
Inmotion is seeking damages and an injunction against the companies, as well as attorneys fees. U.S. Magistrate Judge Charles Everingham IV [pictured] has been assigned to the case.
