Netflix: stop UHD in Germany after a court ruling

Netflix will be forced to stop using its current HEVC/H.265 video encoding technology in Germany after the Munich District Court ruled that the US corporation is infringing a patent for Broadcom related to the codec.

The court's ruling comes five years after Netflix y Broadcom are embroiled in a patent dispute in which Broadcom has accused Netflix of infringing numerous US, German and Dutch patents in relation to its provision of services video streaming.

Of all of them, the one related to the European patent has borne fruit. EP 2 575 366, covering key features of digital video processing used in video encoding HEVC/H.265. The German court has concluded that Netflix uses the content of this patent to offer content in Ultra High Resolution to its users. As a result, the court order prohibits the video-on-demand platform from providing these video streaming services using the Broadcom technology.

Mike Terrano, vice president and general manager of Broadcom's intellectual property and licensing division, assesses the court's decision: “Netflix has built a strong video streaming business that relies on Broadcom's patented technology to deliver content to its users, and Broadcom is pleased to see this recognized by the German court.”

Netflix has not yet commented on this court decision, which could paralyze the delivery of UHD content in Germany, lead the company to develop its own HEVC/H.265 transmission technology processes or pay the corresponding cost to Broadcom for the patent use.