In a significant development, Broadcom, a global technology company, announced a decisive legal victory against Netflix in the District Court of Munich, Germany. The court ruled that Netflix, the popular streaming service, has infringed on a Broadcom patent related to HEVC/H.265 video coding, a crucial technology for high-quality video transmission.
The ongoing patent dispute, which began in 2018, has seen Broadcom accusing Netflix of infringing multiple patents in the United States, Germany, and the Netherlands in connection with its video streaming service. The specific European patent that formed the basis of this recent ruling is EP 2 575 366, known as the “366 Patent.” This patent covers fundamental features of digital video processing widely used in HEVC/H.265 video coding.
The court’s decision on September 19, 2023, concluded that Netflix violated the ‘366 Patent by transmitting HEVC video, a technology Netflix extensively employs to provide Ultra HD content to its user base. Consequently, the court-ordered injunction imposes restrictions on Netflix’s utilization of Broadcom’s patented technology for specific video streaming services.
Mark Terrano, the Vice President and General Manager of Broadcom’s Intellectual Property and Licensing Division, expressed satisfaction with the court’s ruling. He acknowledged Netflix’s reliance on Broadcom’s patented technology to sustain its robust video streaming business and highlighted the German court’s recognition of this dependence.
This legal development is expected to have significant implications for both companies and the broader tech and entertainment industry. The dispute sheds light on the importance of intellectual property rights in the evolving landscape of digital content streaming.