Valjakka’s second patent, however, covering a “data communications network” developed during the early 2000s, passed legal scrutiny. Nevertheless, the courtroom revelation was a bombshell – Valjakka had sold all the assets related to his company, e-3 Systems, in 2005. The acquiring company, Suomen Biisi, subsequently went bankrupt in 2007.
Legal Odyssey in Helsinki
Valjakka attempted to salvage ownership of the intellectual property he had sold a decade earlier in a Helsinki court, but a 2009 ruling determined that his later attempt to rescind the deal held no weight in the assessment of rights to the invention.
This legal twist meant that when Valjakka sued Netflix in 2021, he couldn’t legitimately claim ownership of the IP. The case, initially filed in the Western District of Texas, eventually found its way to California, Netflix’s home turf.
Finnish executive’s Netflix infringement case: Netflix Fights Back
In response to the legal turmoil, Netflix sought a ruling that Ramey LLP, the Texas-based firm representing Valjakka, should bear the brunt of legal expenses due to failures in prefiling diligence. Netflix’s legal team is also pushing for a judgment that Valjakka’s alleged “intentional misrepresentations to the USPTO amount to fraud.”
