Routon Electronic Denies LeTV Infringement Allegations
Xinmin, 6/30/11
Chinese consumer electronics manufacturer Routon Electronic responded to Chinese online video site LeTV's (Leshi) (300104.SZ) allegations of copyright infringement yesterday, saying that Routon's products and servers contained no infringing content and that its products constituted no infringement upon LeTV's rights.
In a public statement, LeTV said that it had filed suit against Routon for copyright infringement. In the suit, LeTV alleged that Routon's H3 Home Media Center permitted online viewing of Painted Skin, Cherish Our Love Forever, and Buddha Mountain, films to which LeTV owns exclusive online broadcast rights. LeTV currently has one lawsuit, for Painted Skin, pending in the Beijing Chaoyang District People's Court.
In a response to journalists' inquiries regarding the suit, Routon board secretary Zhang Wanhong said that the company's H3 Home Media Center set-top box (priced at RMB 2,880 and offering 320 GB of storage) was a consumer electronics product allowing customers to view hundreds of thousands of titles from partner websites. According to Zhang, Routon has signed deals with a number of domestic online video companies, and offers only links to licensed content: all rights issues thus pertain to the websites hosting the content. Therefore, Zhang said, the H3 Home Media Center is not responsible for any infringement. Zhang added that while Routon has not approached LeTV directly, the two companies could possibly partner in the future, as part of Routon's expansion.
Keywords: set-top box Routon Zhang Wanhong consumer electronics television online video LeTV Beijing Chaoyang District People's Court 300104.SZ Leshi law litigation IPR infringement Long Chaoyang broadcasting rights
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