InterDigital is seeking €101.7 million, about $118 million, from Disney over HDR video technology used by Disney+. Subscribers paying €5 extra for the Premium tier lost Dolby Vision, and Chromecast casting is unavailable in two countries.
Disney+ subscribers in parts of Europe are paying for a premium tier that no longer delivers one of its headline features, and the reason is a patent case.
InterDigital Inc., a technology and patent licensing company, is seeking €101.7 million, roughly $118 million, from Walt Disney Co. over what it says is unlicensed use of video technology by Disney+.
The claim was filed with the Munich Regional Court earlier this month, according to people familiar with the matter who spoke to Bloomberg on condition of anonymity because the size of the claim has not been made public.
What subscribers actually lost
After the Munich court granted an injunction in November 2025, Disney stopped offering Dolby Vision content to affected subscribers.
Dolby Vision was part of Disney+’s Premium subscription tier, which costs €5 more per month than the Standard plan. Premium’s pitch rests on picture and sound quality. One of those pillars came out.
Casting has also been affected. “Following a recent ruling in a European patent court, casting from a mobile device or browser via Chromecast is currently unavailable for Disney+ customers in Germany and the Netherlands,” Disney said in response to a request for comment.
What the patent actually covers
The dispute centers on HDR, or high-dynamic-range video.
HDR widens the range of brightness and color a display can show, preserving detail in both very dark and very bright parts of an image. It is one of the main technical reasons a premium streaming tier looks better than a standard one.
The Munich court ruled in November 2025 that Disney infringed an InterDigital patent covering streaming video using HDR, and granted an injunction stopping Disney from using it.
How they arrived at $118 million
The claim spans Disney’s use of the HDR technology from the launch of Disney+ in Germany in 2020 through the Munich injunction in late 2025.
It also accounts for streams delivered to subscribers across 19 European countries from a server facility near Frankfurt, which considerably widens the scope beyond German subscribers alone.
InterDigital says it would rather settle
Josh Schmidt, InterDigital’s chief legal officer, framed the claim as a fraction of what the company believes it is owed.
“This damages claim reflects just some of the value that Disney derives from our HDR technology,” Schmidt said in a statement to Bloomberg. “Our preference is to reach a negotiated settlement with Disney.”
Schmidt also criticized Disney’s response, saying the company has reduced features offered to customers rather than take a license, despite eight injunctions InterDigital says it has obtained across the broader litigation.
Bloomberg reported it is unclear whether any settlement would approach the figure InterDigital is seeking, and that Disney is likely to push back on the demand.
The dispute spans three continents
InterDigital says it has won injunctions against Disney in Germany and Brazil, along with rulings from the Unified Patent Court through its Mannheim and Düsseldorf divisions.
Both companies have also filed suits in California and Delaware.
InterDigital’s position is that Disney continues using some of its patented technologies without a license. Disney has not publicly addressed the claim beyond its statement about Chromecast availability.
Why this matters beyond Europe
Disney has spent 2026 positioning Disney+ as what its executives call a comprehensive membership ecosystem, adding TikTok creator content, expanding ABC News programming, and exploring a free ad-supported tier. All of that assumes the core product keeps improving.
Nothing in the current litigation impacts United States subscribers, and Disney has announced no changes to Disney+ in the US. The California and Delaware cases remain open.
Article compiled with the help of the Pirates & Princesses newsroom.
Pirates and Princesses is your destination for Disney news, theme park updates, and the pop culture you love. From Disney cruises and travel tips to Disney fashion, food, collectibles, and movie news, PNP covers it all. Visit us at piratesandprincesses.net for daily coverage. Follow PNP on Facebook and Instagram, and listen to the Pirates & Princesses podcast on Apple Podcasts and YouTube.
Hat Tips:
Bloomberg via Claims Journal (September 11, 2026), Daniele Lepido’s reporting on the €101.7 million claim, the Munich filing, the November 2025 ruling, the Dolby Vision and Chromecast impacts, the Josh Schmidt statements, and the multi-country litigation history
Disney, the company statement on Chromecast availability in Germany and the Netherlands
AI Disclosure: All articles are assigned, edited and reviewed by an experienced human editor before posting. Like most modern newsrooms, WebReef Media uses a variety of AI tools to help with accuracy and efficiency. Ways AI may be used in article creation include research, grammar, fact-checking and ideation, as well as occasional AI generated or enhanced thumbnails or graphics. No articles are generated or posted without human oversight or involvement.