Apple has lost the German court case against Swiss conditional access provider Kudelski regarding video streaming patent rights.
The ruling could force Apple to remove some video streaming features from products sold in Germany or pull the devices from the market altogether, reports Reuters. The judges at the Düsseldorf District Court said that Apple must not supply software that infringes a patent held by Kudelski’s subsidiary OpenTV covering the mixing of video, audio and online information in a single video stream.
“The claim is predominantly valid and well-founded,” the court said in its ruling. Products that could be affected include iPhones, iPads, Mac computers, iTunes, Quicktime and Apple TV, writes Reuters with reference to court documents.
It is unclear whether Apple will file an appeal against the outcome of the patent infringement suits initiated by Kudelski in May 2014. Apple faces fines of up to €250,000 euros per infringement if it fails to comply.
Apple and Kudelski spokespeople declined to comment.