Universal Electronics: Court Affirms Ruling Against Roku in Patent Dispute -- Update

By Denny Jacob

Universal Electronics said a court affirmed a prior ruling by the U.S. International Trade Commission that banned the import and sale of streaming products by Roku that infringed on its patent.

The control and sensor technology solutions company said the ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit confirms that streaming-service provider Roku won't be able to import or sell any infringing products in the United States until its patent expires in 2032. It adds that its U.S. District Court cases against Roku and its TV partners were on hold until the decision was finalized, but the ruling now paves the way for it to return to U.S. District Court and collect monetary damages.

Universal Electronics said the ruling confirmed the International Trade Commission's findings that Roku's products infringe six different claims of the company's patent.

"Today's decision by the Federal Circuit upholding the ITC's final determination, which was issued in November 2021, has no impact on Roku or its customers," a Roku spokesperson said. "As part of its final determination, the ITC determined that Roku had successfully implemented technical design changes that eliminated any infringement of the one UEI patent that the ITC did not find to be invalid," the spokesperson added.

Write to Denny Jacob at [e-mail]

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

January 19, 2024 16:14 ET (21:14 GMT)

Copyright (c) 2024 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.