Maybe we can't all just get along, but some grudges are pretty easy to forgive.
Yesterday, TiVo
There wasn't all that much to forgive in this conflict. Microsoft launched its original lawsuit in order to defend business partner AT&T
So now that Ma Bell has squared its accounts with TiVo, there was no reason for Microsoft to spend any more money on lawyers in this case. If the Xbox 360 (or perhaps 720) ever becomes a full-fledged entertainment center with cable signal inputs and TiVo-style DVR functionality, I'd imagine that Microsoft would be happy to license the appropriate patents under a totally separate deal.
TiVo is running out of courtroom distractions. After this low-key settlement and earlier big-money agreements with AT&T and DISH Network
It's no big deal, but this settlement removes one more source of uncertainty for TiVo investors. Shares are rising a modest 1.6% on microscopic pre-market volume as I write this. Now, if TiVo could only get back to investing in its own future by dropping a misplaced cost-cutting plan, we'd be golden.
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