In a long running copyright argument between TiVo Inc. and Dish Network Corp., the former was declared winner by the Federal appeals court on Thursday.

The court ruling will enable TiVo to collect about $300 million from satellite-television provider Dish as well as EchoStar Corp. Both the companies are supposed to pay about $100 million in damages and $200 million in sanctions, as per the trial Judge’s instructions.

Earlier in 2004, TiVo took legal action against Dish for making digital video recorders, or DVRs, that TiVo claimed had violated one of its copyrights.

Three judges of the U. S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit supported the trial Judge’s pronouncement that both Dish and Echostar changed the very software in DVRs which in a way infringed TiVo's patent.

TiVo said, “We will also seek further damages and contempt sanctions for the period of continued infringement thereafter”.

EchoStar and Dish said, “We also will be proposing a new design-around to the district court for approval. At this time, our DVR customers are not impacted”.

In 2006, both Dish and EchoStar were found guilty of infringing TiVo's DVR patent when they started manufacturing their own set top boxes, by a panel of judges.

AT&T Inc. and Verizon Communications Inc. have also been sued by TiVo, on the same grounds.