Update: Apparently Etisalat requested more time to respond, so the case is now due some time this week rather than last.

Moosa Eisa Al Amri, the holder of the patent, has stepped up his fight with Etisalat, issuing a statement saying that he just wants to get what is due to him under law.

A rumour reaches us here at itp.net that Etisalat is facing a civil court case today in Abu Dhabi, over a patent for Internet TV.

The patent, filed locally in the UAE and with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in 2005, describes a system for broadcasting video picture and sound via the Internet.

The UAE inventor behind the patent filing also holds patents for a number of smart document systems, including bank cheque systems,  boarding passes and parking tickets.

Now it appears that Etisalat’s IPTV service, a tie-up with France Telecom, which launched in September featuring content from broadcaster MBC, may be conflicting with the patents filed by the inventor.

We’ll have more information on this one as we get it, although it’s going to be interesting to see how whether the courts in the UAE are geared up to handle patent issues of this nature.