OpenTV sues Netflix in the Netherlands

Kudelski Group-owned digital TV solutions firm OpenTV has filed a lawsuit against Netflix in the District Court of the Hague, Netherlands, alleging patent infringement. 

In a statement, Kudelski Group said OpenTV urged Netflix against “further infringement” after rolling out in the Netherlands – its latest European launch market.

“The Group has invested billions of dollars over the past several decades in innovation and R&D and has successfully brought its technologies to market through advanced solutions, technology transfer and IP licensing,” said Joe Chernesky, senior vice-president, intellectual property and innovation at Kudelski.

“The Group remains committed to protecting its substantial and ongoing investment in innovation for the benefit of the digital video ecosystem.”

The action is not the first time that Kudelski has sued Netflix. In December 2012, the firm filed an earlier patent infringement lawsuit against Netflix in the United States District Court in Delaware, claiming that “Netflix is willfully infringing seven US patents owned by OpenTV.”

Kudelski offers security and software solutions to more than 100 Pay TV service providers worldwide and claims that its software in digital set top boxes has been deployed to “hundreds of millions of subscribers across the globe.”

San Francisco-based OpenTV’s software provides advanced program guides, video-on-demand, personal video recording, interactive and addressable advertising and a variety of enhanced television applications.

The Kudelski Group is listed on the Swiss Stock Exchange, is headquartered in Cheseaux-sur-Lausanne, Switzerland, and holds more than 4,200 issued and pending patents.