Judge to hear DVR owners' request

Owners of ReplayTV digital video recorders will appear before a federal judge Monday, asking to consolidate their lawsuit with one filed by the entertainment industry. The DVR owners, all private citizens, filed suit in June, asking a judge to declare legal ReplayTV features that allow people to skip commercials and send shows to other people who own the machine.

That suit was filed in response to an entertainment industry suit that claims such features infringe on the copyrights of TV show owners. The private citizens are pushing consolidation in the hopes of making consumers the focus of the case. A federal judge in Los Angeles will hear arguments from those involved in the cases Monday but won't necessarily issue an immediate ruling.