HDMI Blog

HDMI LA Celebrates a Landmark Court Victory Upholding the Brand and Its Licensing Program

A federal court, on December 31st, 2025, handed HDMI LA a sweeping victory, ruling that chipmaker Availink breached its HDMI license and tossed out every counterclaim from Availink including attempts to challenge HDMI trademarks and raise antitrust allegations and culminating in a statutory $14 million settlement.

About HDMI® Technology
The HDMI interface enables the transmission of high‑definition audio and video over a single connection to digital televisions, computers, monitors, and other display devices. The technology was developed in 2002 by seven founding companies, which appointed HDMI LA to license the HDMI Specification and related intellectual property through a single, non‑discriminatory licensing program.

Through this “one‑stop shop” licensing model, HDMI LA licenses the HDMI Specification, necessary patent claims, copyrights, trade secret know‑how, and the HDMI trademarks. Today, more than 2,100 companies worldwide license HDMI technology through HDMI LA on non-discriminatory terms.

The Dispute With Availink
Availink licensed the HDMI technology for approximately three years before HDMI LA terminated the license due to Availink’s breach of its contractual obligations. After termination, Availink continued to use the HDMI technology and IP without authorization or payments.

HDMI LA filed suit alleging breach of contract. In response, Availink asserted counterclaims challenging the structure and terms of the HDMI license agreement under federal and state antitrust laws and argued that certain HDMI trademarks were generic and therefore invalid.

The Court’s Summary Judgment Ruling
At summary judgment, the judge agreed with HDMI LA that Availink breached the license agreement. The Court found that the license terms unambiguously required Availink to pay royalties and annual fees for its use of the HDMI Specification and prohibited the continued use of the specification following termination.  The Court confirmed that, under the Adopter Agreement, royalties must be paid by the IC manufacturer on ICs sold to non-Adopters. The judgment clearly stated that companies like Availink that manufacture components (ICs), are required to pay royalties on HDMI Components that are not incorporated into “end-user Licensed Products” as defined by the Adopter Agreement. 

The Court dismissed all Availink’s counterclaims. Judge Lee held that Availink failed to establish any harm to competition or antitrust injury arising from HDMI LA’s licensing policies and practices.

With respect to Availink’s attempt to cancel certain HDMI trademarks, the Court ruled in HDMI LA’s favor.

Outcome
Following the ruling, Availink agreed to a $14 million judgment, and signed a new Adopter Agreement with HDMI LA – underscoring the strength of the HDMI licensing program and reaffirming the integrity of the HDMI® brand for consumers and manufacturers alike. .
 
The case is HDMI Licensing Administrator, Inc. v. Availink, Inc., Case No. 5:22‑cv‑06947‑EKL (N.D. Cal. Dec. 31, 2025).
 
HDMI LA appreciates the Court’s careful consideration of the issues and remains committed to fair, transparent, and non‑discriminatory licensing practices that support a vibrant and competitive HDMI ecosystem worldwide.

We extend our sincere thanks to all counsel for their outstanding work and unwavering support throughout this case. Our team at Constantine Cannon LLP — Seth Greenstein, Ankur Kapoor, Patrick Kennedy, Osob Samantar, and Adrianne Wang — provided exceptional leadership. We also thank Jason Drangle and Kerry Brownlee of Epstein Drangel LLP, as well as Bill Barber of Pirkey Barber, for their expertise and collaboration. Each team contributed significantly within their respective areas and in support of one another.

The terms HDMI, HDMI High-Definition Multimedia Interface, HDMI Trade Dress and the HDMI Logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of HDMI Licensing Administrator, Inc.