Apple has been found by a court in Germany to have infringed on patents relating to the streaming of digital content, including TV shows and movies it sells through its digital marketplaces. Yesterday, the Dusseldorf district court ruled in favor of OpenTV, owned by Kudelski Group, with Apple now being ordered by the court to cease sell products that have the infringing streaming software in the country, such as its iOS-based mobile devices.
The lawsuit started in 2014 with OpenTV accusing Apple of infringing its patents with some of its products,
reports Reuters. In the ruling, the court declares "The claim is predominantly valid and well-founded," though it is unknown if Apple will comply with the order to stop sales of infringing devices in the country, including iPhones and iPads, or if it will appeal against the ruling.
Kudelski has a large collection of video patents it collected over multiple decades, which typically apply to digital video and broadcasting applications, a collection it added to in 2010 by acquiring OpenTV. Using its catalog, it has managed to license its patents to a number of major tech companies, including Disney, Cisco, and Google, and hasn't been afraid to step into the
courtroom to get its licensing fees.
This is not the only legal action Kudelski and OpenTV have against Apple.
Last May, it launched a lawsuit in the US District Court for the Northern District of California with similar patent infringement claims.