Comcast Pushes Back
Comcast sought to downplay the impact, saying the ruling will not disrupt its services or customers.
“Our technology was independently created by our engineers, and these patents have expired,” the company said in a statement. Comcast added it intends to continue pressing its claims against Promptu, arguing the expired patents are unenforceable and signaling a possible appeal.
A Case Resurrected on Appeal
The lawsuit’s path has been anything but straight. The case returned to the Eastern District of Pennsylvania after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit revived it in February 2024, finding that the lower court had misread key aspects of the patents.
That appellate decision unraveled a stipulated judgment entered after U.S. District Judge Juan Sánchez issued a claim construction order that largely favored Comcast. Promptu had agreed to dismiss the case to challenge that interpretation on appeal—and the Federal Circuit sided with Promptu on most points, breathing new life into the dispute.
