September 7, 2026, 11:21 am | Read time: 2 minutes
Anyone wanting to stream Disney+ content from a smartphone to a TV in Germany now faces another restriction. The streaming service has disabled support for Google Cast. This removes a feature that many users regularly use to watch movies and series on a larger screen.
The removal is not due to a technical glitch this time. Instead, it involves a long-standing patent dispute. On September 2, 2026, the Düsseldorf local chamber of the Unified Patent Court (UPC) concluded that Disney+ uses a protected technology from InterDigital, thereby infringing a patent.
Ruling brings further restrictions
Due to the ruling, Disney is no longer allowed to use the affected technology in Germany and the Netherlands. This marks the eighth defeat for the U.S. company in this conflict.
According to InterDigital, seven injunctions had already been obtained against Disney. These involve proceedings in Brazil, Germany, and before the UPC.
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Disney+ has already had to remove several features
The consequences of the legal dispute have been felt by customers in Germany since the end of 2025. Since at least early December, Dolby Vision and HDR10+, which enable higher contrasts and more vibrant colors on compatible TVs, have been missing. In early 2026, Disney also removed support for 3D movies. At the end of February, HDR10 temporarily disappeared, but the feature was available again just a day later.
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In March, Disney brought back Dolby Vision and 3D in some European countries. However, Germany was not included. In July, the next restriction followed: 4K and HDR were temporarily unavailable in Germany.
4K remains part of the patent dispute
In early August, 4K resolution returned at least on selected devices. Since then, Disney has been using the VP9 video codec, a different method of video compression, for playback. However, HDR remains unavailable.
However, this step could also bring new problems. InterDigital claims that VP9 also infringes its patents. Therefore, the legal dispute before the UPC has now been expanded to include this technology.