Gemstar Wins a Round in Patent Case

Gemstar International Group said a federal judge in Oklahoma ruled that its patent covering technology for electronic television program guides is enforceable. The patent is held by Gemstar subsidiary StarSight Telecast, which sued rival United Video Satellite Group of Tulsa for patent infringement. United Video, which is controlled by Tele-Communications Inc., argued that the suit should be dismissed because the StarSight patent was unenforceable. U.S. District Judge Sven Erik Holmes has yet to rule on the merits of StarSight’s patent-infringement claims. Henry Yuen, chairman and chief executive of Pasadena-based Gemstar, said the ruling is significant because the patent at issue is also involved in a number of other lawsuits. Gemstar shares leaped $3.50 to close at $64.50 on Nasdaq.