Roku has dismissed a declaration made earlier in the week by Universal Electronics, in which the remote control maker said a recent ruling in a patent dispute will keep the streaming company and its technology partners from importing Roku-enabled smart TVs, streaming sticks and other gadgets from China and other factories abroad. 

In fact, a Roku rep told Next TV that the U.S. International Trade Commission ruling is weeks old. "The only thing new about it is the press release," the rep said. 

Meanwhile, Joe Hollinger, Roku's VP of litigation and intellectual property, released this statement: “There have been no new developments in this case. On November 10, 2021, the ITC’s Final Determination fully absolved Roku from liability in this proceeding by confirming the Administrative Law Judge’s Initial Determination findings that two of the three patents asserted by UEI are invalid and that Roku has already successfully implemented technical design changes that eliminate any infringement of the one remaining UEI patent. Based on the ITC’s ruling, we do not anticipate any disruption in Roku’s ability to continue to import products.”

Santa Ana, Calif.-based Universal Electronics, which makes remote controls for pay TV and streaming companies, among other clients, filed a complaint last year with the ITC, alleging that Roku violates several of its technology patents. 

On Wednesday, Universal released a statement, declaring that an ITC ruling means that Roku will now have to check with U.S. Customs before it or its gadget partners import devices in order to ensure they're not violating the patents in question. 

Roku shares have tumbled more than 12% as of midday trading on the Nasdaq, with remote control maker Universal Electronics trumpeting that an import ban has been slapped on the streaming company following Universal's complaint filing with the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) last year. 

According to Santa Ana, Calif.-based Universal Electronics, once the ITC's ruling becomes finalized in January, Roku will have to check with customs and make sure it's not violating the patents in question before it imports “televisions, set top boxes, remote control devices, streaming devices and sound bars.”

Roku manufactures most of its hardware in China. And's Roku's "player" business has been hit hard by global supply chain issues, with margins edging into negative territory in the third quarter. 

Updated 12/17/2021: Roku has responded with a statement dismissing Universal's claims. 

Also read: Roku Fires Up Patent War with Remote Maker Universal Electronics

“The Commission’s ban on Roku imports and sales is an important step in the process of preventing Roku from continuing its unlawful use of UEI technology," said Richard Firehammer, Universal's senior VP and general counsel, in a statement. 

Even now, we believe that Roku continues to infringe the very patent it was found to infringe despite its attempts to ‘design around’ its infringement with recent software updates," Firehammer added. "These updates coincide with degraded Roku product performance, as evidenced by recent media reports and consumer outcry. We look forward to working with U.S. Customs and Border Protection to ensure the Commission’s orders banning imports of infringing Roku products are appropriately enforced. 

According to Universal, Roku’s products infringe six different claims of U.S. Patent No. 10,593,196. According to a Universal filing with the U.S. Trademark Office, Patent '196 has to do with using a single device to "control all appliances in a home theater system." 

In May 2020, Universal filed a complaint with the ITC, alleging Roku remotes tied to TV sets made by Chinese brands TCL and Hisense, and imported into North America, violate its patents. Universal also filed a suit against Roku in California's Central District court. 

In April of this year, Roku countersued the remote maker in a California federal court, alleging violations of U.S. Patent No. 8,378,875, “Method of Programming a Universal Remote Control,” and No. 7,388,511, “System for Remote Control of Identical Devices.” 

As for the most recent ruling, ITC decisions do carry some weight. For example, an ITC import ban against Comcast in 2018 ultimately propelled the cable giant to settle with TiVo in a long-running patent dispute. 

Roku reps didn't immediately respond to Next TV's email inquiry for comment. 

Roku is suing Universal Electronics, maker of remote controls for large pay TV operators, OTT gadget makers and CE brands, for patent infringement.

The streaming giant says the Santa Ana, Calif.-based company has violated patents related to the set-up of infrared remote controls.

The suit, filed last week in a California federal court, alleges violations of U.S. Patent No. 8,378,875, “Method of Programming a Universal Remote Control,” and No. 7,388,511, “System for Remote Control of Identical Devices.” 

Roku says its patents are infringed on based on set-up features, including “QuickSet” and “SimpleSet,” found in programmable remotes made for pay TV operators including Charter Communications, WideOpenWest, and Videotron, as well as smart TV makers Samsung, LG Electronics and Zenith.

The legal action seems to be the latest volley in an emerging rivalry between the two technology companies. 

In May of last year, Universal Electronics filed a complaint with the International Trade Commission, alleging Roku remotes tied to TV sets made by Chinese brands TCL and Hisense, and imported into North America, violate its patents. Universal also filed a suit against Roku in the same California Central District court. TCL and Hisense are fast-rising rivals Korean brands Samsung and LG in the North America smart TV market. 

Among other clients, Universal Electronics makes the voice remote for Comcast’s Xfinity X1 and Flex video platforms—the cable giant even has a warrants agreement with the vendor. Universal also makes remotes for Liberty Global and AT&T, as well as Dish Network’s Android TV-powered AirTV devices. 

Perhaps more notable to the Roku litigation, Universal Electronics now makes remotes to streaming devices including Apple TV. 

Pay TV remote technology vendor Universal Electronics Inc. (UEI) is moving all manufacturing for its North American clients from China to Mexico, a process it hopes to complete by the fourth quarter of next year.

“We already have a manufacturing facility in Mexico, and are well into the process of shifting certain skews to that facility. Frankly, we have been preparing for this shift because the increasing labor rates in China have made those labor rates less and less favorable over time to those in other countries,” said Paul Arling, chairman and CEO of UEI, speaking to investors during the company’s third-quarter earnings call last month.

With the Trump Administration ramping up a trade dispute with China that could entail 25% tariffs on electronics imports, Santa Ana, Calif.-based UEI said it has begun to reduce staff at its Hong Kong facility, shifting headcount to factories in Mainland China.

“That’s step one,” said Bryan Hackworth, chief financial officer for UEI, speaking alongside Arling.

Related: Smart Home Surge Drives Customer Care Moves

UEI has relationships with most top pay TV operators in the U.S. This includes a warrants agreement with Comcast, for which UEI manufactures the X1 Voice Remote and various home automation electronics, just to name a few pieces of technology.

UEI said it isn’t shifting all of its manufacturing out of China, only the portion affected by the volatility of the ongoing trade dispute.

As for the decision to shift operations to Mexico, the company noted that it has had a factory located in the region already for several years. And it sees Mexico as more stable terrain, at least as far as the Trump Administration is concerned.

“We think that the trade tensions with Mexico have settled somewhat, if not completely,” Arling said. “So we feel pretty safe with that move, particularly for, again the products that are being shifted -- shipped into the United States. So we don't really see the tariff issue getting worse, although, again we could never guarantee what would happen there.”

Arling added that the tariffs could impact nearly half of UEI’s business.

“We will move that which is necessary, in order to provide cost effective solution to the customer. In other words not have them have to absorb the 25 % increase,” he said.

UEI is but one U.S. company serving the telecom sector with strong manufacturing ties to Asia.

Arris noted several months ago, for example, that the tariffs could add $200 million to the cost of manufacturing broadband equipment for all vendors. 

As home security and smart home services become a new cornerstone for cable operators, customer demands are causing vendors to rethink and expand how they support their MSO partners.

Read More: Complete coverage of Cable-Tec Expo 2017

For Universal Electronics, a company known for making remote controls, its aggressive push into the smart home sector has been followed with the recent launch of call center support services that are tailored for helping consumers find answers and troubleshoot their connected home devices.

Universal Electronics, which acquired smart home product specialist Ecolink Intelligent Technology in 2015 and counts Comcast as a key customer, said consumer demand in that sector has led to a 30% increase in home security call volume at its Technical Support Services (TSS) center over a period of about six months.

Universal Electronics, which will show its latest wares at this week’s SCTE•ISBE Cable-Tec Expo in Denver, has been able to generate some serious scale from those businesses. The company, for example, buys chips in quantities of about 100 million per year using technology that works with both its remote controls as well as smart home devices, according to Lou Hughes, Universal Electronics’s chief operating officer.

In addition to teaming with Comcast on certain types of smart home products and sensors, such as door contacts and motion sensors and keypads, Universal Electronics also supports the Samsung SmartThings ecosystem, works with several do-it-your-self smart home companies, and sells its own products under the Ecolink brand at retail outlets such as Amazon.

RELATED: UEI, Comcast Sign Warrants Agreement

“All of that work has required us to support [smart home] devices out in the marketplace,” he said, noting that some smart home products “aren’t trivial to install.”

To support its growing smart home businesses, Universal Electronics has been training its people to become experts in that area so they are knowledgeable about wireless networking, how to pair devices, and relay that information to consumers in plain English.

Universal Electronics also brings this support capability to its cable operator customers, typically providing a second tier of help in a subcontracted role. For instance, if a consumer contacted an MSO about a smart home-related technical issue that the rep couldn’t figure out, that customer might be relayed to a Universal Electronics representative to get it resolved.

Comcast said it has added a feature that enables its voice remotes for the X1 service to automatically pair with televisions without requiring customers to input codes manually.

Comcast said it has received calls over the years from customers asking for help with setting up their remotes, and said this new automated feature will eliminate the step of having to fumble for remote control codes. However, devices must be connected by HDMI in order for the feature to work.

“For new X1 customers – or existing customers who may have just received one of our X1 Voice Remotes – X1 will now immediately detect the model of the television they are using and program the remote to control things like TV power, volume and input,” Jonathan Palmatier, VP, product development and consumer devices at Comcast, explained in this blog post. “Within seconds, X1 will display an on-screen message that the remote is ready to go.

Universal Electronics said its QuickSet Cloud software is enabling the auto-connect feature for X1. Universal Electronics, which has a warrants agreement with Comcast based on purchase milestones, said QuickSet is widely deployed in more than 250 million devices, including set-tops, televisions, game consoles, smartphones, and tablets.

Comcast is adding the feature as it expands the deployment of X1 and the voice remote. Comcast expects about half of its video sub base to be on X1 by year-end, and has deployed more than 10 million X1 voice remotes. The operator said X1 subs are speaking more than 200 million commands into the voice remote every month, and that it has processed north of 1 billion voice commands since launching the device last year. 

Universal  Electronics, a maker of universal control and smart home technologies and products, said its full line of HDMI cables has been certified by the Premium HDMI Cable Certification Program.

Certification ensures that consumers using Universal Electronics’ HDMI cables to connect the latest 4K/UltraHD equipment can enjoy the full potential and feature-rich content of the new pixel-packed format, the company said.

The program tests HDMI cables to ensure that they can reliably support the full 18 Gbps bandwidth and delivery of features enabled by the most recent HDMI specification including advanced video formats such as 4K@60Hz, wide color gamut and High Dynamic Range (HDR).

“The launch of Universal Electronics’ new Premium High Speed HDMI Cables ensures its cables are ready for today’s new 4K/UltraHD products and content, and installations will be future-proof for when customers add new upgraded products,” Brad Bramy, HDMI Licensing, LLC marketing director, said in a statement.

Universal Electronics a supplier to a range of video service providers said the certified  HDMI cables are also available direct to consumers through the company’s e-commerce site, TVGear.com.

Everyone knows what KISS stands for, right? Keep It Simple, Stupid.

But today, the home TV experience is anything but simple. Every possible digital provider is fighting to become the dominant player for the geography we used to call “TV."  The result?  TV today is complicated and confusing. It has become a major source of frustration to the consumer. And no wonder.

Turns out that in most American households only one – maybe two – people understand how to work the plethora of remote controls to connect their TV to their service provider’s STB-delivered programs; favorite gaming device; DVD,  Blu-ray or OTT device; mobile device; tablet; PC  or -- you fill in the blank. In short, while the number of content delivery devices in the home, and available content on these devices, has exploded during the last 15 years, the remote controls designed to operate them have not changed at all.

Have you looked at your remote controls lately? I’m willing to bet you’ll find that the top buttons are called “AUX” or “DVD” or “TV,” and “CBL” or “SAT.” These buttons only add to the confusion because consumers are generally required to hit multiple buttons just to get back to their service provider’s programming if they simply want to watch TV or a movie. If the wrong button is pushed the remote won’t control the content or the TV.

Many frustrated consumers have phoned their service provider’s call center because their system was “broken,” or insisted on a truck roll for an onsite technician to “fix” their problems, when the solution was as simple as turning on the set-top box or changing the input. Most consumers have begrudgingly accepted the idea that they must use different remote controls to operate each of the entertainment devices in their home. I have been in many homes where three and four different remotes are sitting on the coffee table for convenient access and daily use!

Service providers must reduce non-revenue-generating activities at their call centers related to customer service, field service and technical support. We know that reducing the complexity of the interaction between multiple users and multiple devices in the home is nothing less than a mandate toward this goal.

What we need is an innovative solution to this problem: to develop a friendlier way to remotely operate subscriber devices and access their content without breaking the bank on high-cost premises equipment.

You’d be surprised by how few people know that there are solutions that can do just that, and they already exist today. There are solutions that can simply, with one button press, tune any TV user back to their service provider’s programming from whatever else they or anyone in their household has been doing with the TV (like gaming, DVD watching, or streaming for example). The beauty of these solutions is that they enable a remote to set itself up automatically. No more punching in IR device codes or searching for them on the Internet or punching buttons and praying it works. Users connect the service provider’s box to the TV and it just works.

Once viewers can easily get access to their service provider’s content on their TV, the next big question is how to increase programming revenue.

The obvious answer is that if we reduce the complexities for discovering and navigating TV programming, it’s likely that consumers will be able to find and enjoy the content they want to watch, thereby greatly increasing the consumption of content per subscriber. Clearly, the most powerful tool at our disposal is voice activated search and control.

Comcast recently deployed one of the most exciting new remote controls to become widely available in the marketplace – the all new Xfinity Remote with voice search and control – the XR11. The remote accurately captures words spoken by any viewer, in any voice, and delivers the signal to the set-top box so the voice recognition engine can do its magic. With the Comcast active voice “say and play” technology, customers can easily discover any TV show, movie, topic or star they are interested in watching.

This milestone achievement in our industry reduces the frustrating and painstaking process of navigating VOD and EST content. With just a word, customers can quickly find exactly what they are looking for, resulting in a dramatically enhanced experience. And it’s no surprise that fast, easy and reliable access to the programming they want to see will likely result in significantly higher content consumption. You can bet that electronic sell-through revenue will soar.

Simpler controls to all devices combined with voice search is the major breakthrough that our industry and consumers needs at this time.

There’s no doubt that we’re at a tipping point in home entertainment – and it’ll be those who keep it simple that will come out on top.

Lou Hughes is executive vice president, Americas, at Universal Electronics, a Santa Ana, Calif.-based developer of wireless control technology for the connected home.