Netflix Won’t Engage in ‘Good Faith’ Patent Licensing Talks: VideoLabs Suit

Netflix won’t license the video streaming inventions in the VideoLabs patent pool and refuses to engage in “good faith” licensing negotiations, said a complaint Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Wilmington, Delaware, in docket 1:22-cv-229, alleging infringement of three of those patents. “VideoLabs contacted Netflix multiple times to offer Netflix the benefit of VideoLabs’ platform and to alert it to its use of VideoLabs’ patented technology,” said the complaint. “After many months of ignoring VideoLabs’ entreaties, Netflix finally responded” when it “foreclosed the possibility of good faith discussions by insisting that VideoLabs agree not to enforce its patent rights against Netflix for an indefinite period of time.” Netflix again went silent when VideoLabs declined the “demand,” it said: “VideoLabs feels that it has no recourse but to file this action to stop Netflix’s unauthorized use of VideoLabs’ patents.” Netflix didn’t comment.