UPC Rules in Favor of InterDigital
InterDigital, Inc. (NASDAQ:IDCC) has obtained a patent injunction against Disney (NYSE:DIS) from the Mannheim Local Division of the Unified Patent Court (UPC), strengthening its position in an ongoing intellectual property dispute involving video compression technology.
The ruling relates to Disney’s use of technology covered by an InterDigital patent associated with certain video encoding methods linked to the High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) standard.
Injunction Applies Across Multiple EU Markets
The Unified Patent Court determined that the injunction will apply across 11 European Union member states, extending the reach of the decision well beyond a single national jurisdiction.
In addition to granting the injunction, the court upheld the validity of the patent at the center of the case. Disney has the option to challenge the ruling through the appeals process.
First UPC Injunction Against Disney
According to InterDigital, this is the first time the company has secured an injunction against Disney through the UPC system.
The latest decision adds to a series of legal victories for the technology developer. Courts in Germany and Brazil have previously issued injunctions against Disney involving alleged infringement of InterDigital patents covering high dynamic range (HDR) technology, dynamic video stream overlay systems and other compression technologies connected to the HEVC and AVC standards.
Company Seeks Broader Licensing Agreement
InterDigital indicated that it remains focused on reaching a comprehensive licensing arrangement with Disney despite the legal proceedings.
Josh Schmidt, Chief Legal Officer at InterDigital, said the company remains “committed to securing a long-term agreement with Disney, which reflects fair value for innovation that Disney uses every day.”
Patent Licensing Remains Core Business
InterDigital generates revenue by licensing its portfolio of communications and video technologies to a broad range of industries.
Its customers include smartphone manufacturers, consumer electronics producers, streaming platforms and other companies that rely on advanced digital media and wireless technologies.
The latest court victory further reinforces InterDigital’s efforts to protect and monetize its intellectual property portfolio across major international markets.