Established codec developer DivX filed a lawsuit against Samsung that accuses the company of quadruple theft of patented video technologies. LG and Realtek Semiconductor are the defendants in the case as well, with the American company claiming both are guilty of near-identical transgressions. In its address to a Delaware district court, the plaintiff demanded a trial to determine the trio's guilt, seeking to win damages with interest, among other relief avenues.
Three of the four supposedly infringed patents have been registered with the USPTO last year after passing individual reviews which lasted about 18 months on average. The remaining invention was originally submitted for review at the very end of 2011 before receiving regulatory approval in September of 2014. It describes a complex system for “multiphase adaptive bitrate streaming.” The remaining intellectual property is also related to various video encoding techniques, mostly aimed at establishing secure, fully encrypted connections.
Just another day in big tech… maybe
Samsung's Q90R 4K QLED smart TV released in the first half of this year is mentioned as an example of an infringing product. DivX listed numerous instances of the alleged misappropriation on the conglomerate's part, making no major distinction between Samsung and LG in terms of unlicensed video technology use. Realtek's involvement in the case appears to be tied to its role of a major semiconductor supplier of LG's.
Formerly known as DivXNetworks, San Diego, California-based DivX was established back in 2000 and is best-known for standardizing high-definition video compression through a trio of codecs: the H.264/MPEG-4 AVC DivX Plus, High Efficiency Video Coding DivX HEVC Ultra HD, and the original DivX based on the MPEG-4 Part 2 specification. Over the years, the company certified digital television sets, DVD players, and other media playback-capable electronics. Its brand is even somewhat familiar among consumers thanks to the major role it played in enabling the DVD era of home cinema.
While getting sued by everyone and their TV repairman comes with the territory when you're among the largest and most successful suppliers of mass-consumer goods, if this litigation is just another case of patent trolling against Samsung, then it's a pretty unconventional one. Because in this instance, the plaintiff isn't a nobody. In fact, it extensively collaborated with all three defendants in the past, mostly in regards to HD TV development. Not to mention that its codecs are still widely in use and the company continues to operate under the new ownership of NYC-based industry giant Endeavor Streaming.
