Netflix Knocks Three Broadcom Patents Out of Infringement Suit

Netflix Inc. convinced a California federal judge that three Broadcom Corp. patents related to streaming technology cover abstract ideas that aren’t entitled to protection.

Judge James Donato in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California said U.S. Patent Nos. 7,266,079, 8,959,245, and 8,270,992 are invalid because they are directed to abstract ideas and lack inventive concepts.

One patent relates to measuring data traffic, which the judge said “brings to mind the image of a traffic cop.” The other patents were directed to abstract ideas of delivering services and content over multiple routes, and switching ...