Netflix has declined to comment. Broadcom said it alerted Netflix to the alleged violations in September, but that the internet service had turned down attempts to negotiate a patent license.

The lawsuit might not go Broadcom's way. The chip producer sued a string of TV makers in 2017 for supposed patent violations, but Vizio and Sigma Designs both prevailed in 2018 after the US International Trade Commission found that they weren't violating the patents. Broadcom will have to show that Netflix is a different beast -- not to mention fend off concerns that it's trying to compensate for lost business by profiting from a competitor.