Sonicblue readies for digital video lawsuit

Sonicblue announced on Monday that it has hired law firm Fenwick and West to defend the consumer electronics maker in the lawsuit brought on by major TV networks and movie studios. The lawsuit surrounds the recording and distributing capabilities of Sonicblue's ReplayTV 4000 digital video recorders. The networks claim that distributing shows infringes on copyright laws.

Digital video recorders are similar to VCRs, but instead of storing to a tape, shows are recorded to hard drives. Technology on Sonicblue's ReplayTV 4000 recorders allows consumers to skip commercials and send TV shows to others who have a ReplayTV 4000 box. --Richard Shim, ZDNet News