Disney+ faces potential loss of 4K in Europe amid patent dispute

Disney+ faces the potential loss of 4K streaming capabilities in Europe due to an expanding patent dispute with InterDigital. While Disney recently attempted to restore 4K functionality by switching from the HEVC codec to the VP9 codec, InterDigital has expanded its litigation within the Unified Patent Court (UPC).

InterDigital claims that the use of the VP9 codec also infringes upon its patented encoding technologies. Josh Schmidt, Chief Legal Officer at InterDigital, stated that Disney is using VP9 as a workaround to avoid paying fair royalties while delivering an inferior experience to customers, noting that VP9 does not support HDR.

The legal challenges have already impacted services in several regions. A court in Düsseldorf previously ruled in favor of InterDigital regarding technologies that enable seamless video playback across devices, affecting markets in Germany and the Netherlands. If the current expansion regarding the VP9 codec is successful, Premium subscribers in various European countries may lose access to ultra-high-definition content once again.