A case started in a California district court against a host of well known companies alleging their products breached video patents.

Guardian Media Technologies is suing - ready for this - Coby Electronics, Acer, Amazon, Apple, Bang and Olufsen, Best Buy, Bose, Cisco, Costco, Dell, Direct TV, Echostar Fujitsu, Imation, Lenovo, Lite on, Memorex, Microsoft, Motorola, Nintend, Onkyo, Overstock.com, Radio Shack, Robert Bosch, Scientific-Atlanta, Sears Roebuck, Sherwood America, Sound Around, Target Corp, Tivo, TTE Technology, Walmart, Viewsonic and Yamaha.

What's it all about?

Guardian alleges it owns a number of patents which are being breached - to wit 4,930,158 and 4,930,160. The first describes a selective video playing system, while the second was issued in May 1990 for "automatic censorship of video programs".
Guardian says the 158 patent is connected to parental control features in DVD players that the defendants offer for sale, while the 160 patent coversparental control on TVs.

Guardian alleges all the defendants have breached its patents and it wants damages. X