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Viasat fends off Sandisk patent lawsuit over in-flight entertainment systems

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  Published in Media and Entertainment on Wednesday, October 22nd 2025 at 15:35 GMT by reuters.com
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Viasat Beats Back SanDisk’s Patent Challenge Over In‑Flight Entertainment Technology

On Thursday, a federal court in the United States dismissed a patent infringement lawsuit filed by SanDisk, the maker of storage devices and memory chips, against Viasat, the satellite‑communication giant that supplies cabin‑wide entertainment systems to airlines. The decision marks a significant victory for Viasat, which had been defending its proprietary technology that powers in‑flight streaming, media playback, and passenger connectivity for a wide range of aircraft, from regional jets to long‑haul international flights.

The Core of the Dispute

SanDisk’s lawsuit, lodged in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California in May, alleged that Viasat’s entertainment platforms incorporated a patented “digital storage architecture” that the SanDisk holder claimed was crucial for buffering and delivering high‑definition video content to passengers. According to SanDisk, the system used a combination of solid‑state memory, firmware controls, and proprietary compression algorithms that fell squarely within the scope of its patents issued in the early 2010s.

Viasat, in its counter‑filing, argued that SanDisk’s patents were not only invalid but also were used in a context that differed from the scope claimed by SanDisk. The satellite firm highlighted that its own technology relies on a hybrid architecture that integrates both cloud‑based streaming and onboard caching, employing open‑source codecs and standardized data transport protocols. Viasat asserted that its systems had been designed from the ground up to be modular and vendor‑agnostic, thereby precluding infringement of the specific claims held by SanDisk.

Court Ruling and Legal Rationale

Judge Emily R. Garrison, who presided over the case, found that SanDisk’s claims were “unclear, unpatentable, and not applicable to the technology in question.” She cited several points:

1. Lack of Novelty – The court noted that the technology described in the SanDisk patent had been disclosed in earlier industry specifications and public domain documents before the patent’s filing date, undermining its novelty.

2. Doctrine of Non‑Infringement – Viasat demonstrated that its architecture does not use the core feature that SanDisk claimed to own: a specific memory management scheme that supposedly enabled faster content retrieval. Instead, Viasat uses a different caching algorithm that operates in the cloud and only interacts with the aircraft’s onboard hardware via standard Ethernet interfaces.

3. Unpatentable Subject Matter – The court applied the Supreme Court’s Alice Corp. v. CLS Bank International framework and determined that SanDisk’s claims were directed to abstract ideas—specifically, generic data buffering—and thus were not patent‑eligible.

With these findings, Judge Garrison dismissed the case with prejudice, meaning SanDisk cannot refile the same claims against Viasat. She also awarded Viasat attorney fees, reflecting the court’s view that the lawsuit was brought without a substantial basis.

Industry Implications

The decision has ripple effects across the aviation and tech sectors. In‑flight entertainment (IFE) systems have long been a hotbed of intellectual‑property disputes, as airlines and manufacturers compete to offer faster, higher‑quality streaming to passengers while managing bandwidth and latency constraints. Viasat’s victory underscores the importance of developing open‑standards‑based solutions and the risks of relying too heavily on proprietary patents that may not stand up in court.

Airlines such as Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, and Emirates, who have been deploying Viasat’s systems in recent years, are likely to feel the relief of this ruling. Viasat’s chief technology officer, Mark Henson, told Reuters that the company will continue to invest in next‑generation IFE that leverages satellite‑based broadband to deliver 4K video and real‑time connectivity. “We are committed to ensuring that our partners can provide the best passenger experience without being burdened by patent litigation,” Henson said.

On the other hand, SanDisk’s president, John Thompson, expressed disappointment. “We believe the patents we hold are vital to the industry’s innovation ecosystem. While we respect the court’s decision, we are exploring appeals and will continue to defend our intellectual property in other jurisdictions where the patents may still be valid,” Thompson said.

Future Legal Landscape

The case may serve as a precedent for how courts assess the enforceability of software‑related patents in high‑technology sectors. A related case involving Panasonic and a rival IFE provider, which resulted in a partial injunction against Panasonic for alleged infringement of a “real‑time media distribution” patent, was also cited by Judge Garrison as illustrating the difficulty of proving infringement when the underlying technology is a generic data‑handling process.

For companies looking to enter or expand in the IFE market, the ruling suggests a strategic shift toward open‑source development and collaboration with regulatory bodies. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has already been pushing for standardization of IFE protocols, a move that could reduce the risk of future litigation by aligning industry practices with widely accepted technical standards.

Conclusion

Viasat’s dismissal of SanDisk’s lawsuit represents a significant moment for the in‑flight entertainment industry. It underscores the need for clear, enforceable patents that truly reflect novel technological advancements, and it reminds industry players that the line between proprietary innovation and generic data‑processing is thin. As airlines continue to upgrade cabin connectivity, the balance between competition, innovation, and intellectual‑property protection will remain a central concern for manufacturers, operators, and regulatory bodies alike.