Virgin Media, already embroiled in a court case with BSkyB, on Thursday found itself the target of a suit from another company part-owned by News Corp, this time over patent infringement.

Gemstar-TV Guide, a Los Angeles-based company whose main product is the software to produce interactive programme guides (IPGs) used in televisions, video recorders, PCs and mobile phones, claimed in a High Court action that Virgin Media had breached its patent in its set-top boxes.