A federal lawsuit involving NASCAR and the technology used for the Fanview device has been settled, according to a statement by the companies involved. Immersion Entertainment had sued Kangaroo Media, NASCAR and Sprint Nextel in U.S. District Court in Texas last year alleging patent infringement. Immersion alleged that Fanview, developed by Kangaroo Media, used devices or systems covered by patents owned by Immersion. Fanview is a handheld device fans can purchase or rent at the track to watch television feeds, look up race statistics and listen to in-car radio of various teams. According to a Kangaroo Media news release, the settlement agreement covers Kangaroo and the other defendants. Additionally, Immersion granted Kangaroo rights in all issued patents and pending applications relating to Immersion’s intellectual property portfolio and technology. Kangraoo has paid Immersion $2 million and will pay royalties on sales beginning this year. Minimum royalties are $1 million for 2008 and 2009. At the end of 2010, Kangaroo will have the option to retain the exclusive worldwide rights to Immersion’s intellectual property portfolio, subject to minimum yearly royalty payments. The settlement documents are not yet available through the federal court system’s online records.(SceneDaily.com)(2-5-2008)
