Roku’s Bid to Resolve Global High-Def Patent War Denied by Court

A federal judge in Massachusetts declined to resolve a global battle between Roku Inc. and owners of a portfolio of standard-essential patents that streaming companies purportedly must use when they deliver high-definition video content.

Judge Richard G. Stearns of the US District Court for the District of Massachusetts dismissed Roku’s suit, saying in a minute order that his court “lacks jurisdiction to determine” a fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory rate “as requested” by Roku since the US “patents constitute only a fraction of the larger portfolio which includes hundreds of foreign patents.” A day earlier, Stearns granted dismissal of Dolby Laboratories ...