Victor Co. of Japan Ltd., the unprofitable electronics maker known as JVC, has sued CyberLink Corp. and Corel Corp.'s InterVideo, accusing them of infringing five U.S. patents for parental control features on DVD players.
JVC owns four patents related to software that ensures DVD players won't play certain types of movies and one for fast forwarding. The Kanagawa Prefecture-based company is seeking cash redress and a court order to ban use of its inventions.
The CyberLink and InterVideo programs allow movies to be played on computers and DVD players.
The company claims the CyberLink Power DVD versions 6.0 and 7.0 and the InterVideo WinDVD version 7.0 contain the control and fast-forward technology it developed.
"JVC has suffered, and will continue to suffer, irreparable injury as a result of this willful infringement," the company said in the complaint, filed Jan. 15 in federal court in Austin, Texas.