InterVideo, the company behind WinDVD is suing Dell on the ground that the company has infringed one of its patents. As from Monday, a formal complaint with the US District Court of Northern California has been filed against Dell, concerning patent 6,765,788, which details a "method and apparatus for integrating personal computer and electronic device functions". This refers to a way of incorporating the controls for a consumer electronics device into a computer, like a set of play/pause, fast forward and rewind buttons on the front of a laptop that control a computer's DVD drive.

InterVideo maintains Dell incorporated such functionality into one or more of its products, and did so knowing that the technique was owned by a third-party. Last year, InterVideo alleged Acer had infringed the same patent - it said it had "resolved those cases to its satisfaction".
InterVideo said it has asked the court to ban Dell from making, importing, marketing and selling devices which infringe on the patent. It also wants the court to order Dell to cough up its legal costs along with unspecified "enhanced damages".