Comcast Cable Communications Management, LLC, et al. v. MaxLinear, Inc.
- Alvin Hellerstein
- 1:23-cv-04436
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 2
In Comcast v. MaxLinear, MaxLinear asked to seal a patent agreement; no court ruling appears in the filing, Judge Hellerstein.
MaxLinear, Inc., MaxLinear Communications LLC, Entropic Communications, LLC, Comcast Cable Communications Management, LLC, and the public’s access to the agreement if it is filed in the court record.
What happened
Comcast Cable Communications Management, LLC, et al. v. MaxLinear, Inc. is represented here by a letter from MaxLinear’s lawyer, not a court opinion or order. MaxLinear asked permission to file under seal a Patent Purchase Agreement involving MaxLinear, MaxLinear Communications LLC, and Entropic Communications, LLC.
MaxLinear argued that the agreement contains confidential business information whose disclosure could harm MaxLinear’s and Entropic’s competitive positions. It also argued that the public already knows the agreement’s general purpose and that its specific commercial terms are not central to Comcast’s claims. The letter states that Comcast did not oppose the request.
The filing does not show that Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein granted or denied the sealing request. It shows only MaxLinear’s request, so no court disposition can be summarized.
The detailed version
- Comcast Cable Communications Management, LLC, et al. v. MaxLinear, Inc. · No. 1:23-cv-04436
- Alvin Hellerstein
- Nov. 6, 2025
Nature of the filing
The provided document is a November 5, 2025 letter from counsel for Defendant-Counterclaim Plaintiff MaxLinear, Inc. to Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein. It requests permission to file a Patent Purchase Agreement between MaxLinear, Inc., MaxLinear Communications LLC, and Entropic Communications, LLC under permanent seal. The document does not contain a court order or opinion ruling on that request.
Arguments for sealing
MaxLinear argues that the agreement is confidential business information. It contends that public disclosure could harm MaxLinear’s and Entropic’s competitive standing by allowing competitors to deduce their negotiation tactics and could disadvantage them in future negotiations. The letter cites decisions discussing the presumption of public access to court records and circumstances in which confidential business information may be sealed.
MaxLinear also argues that sealing the agreement would not significantly impair the public’s interest in transparent judicial proceedings. According to the letter, the public already knows that MaxLinear assigned rights in certain United States patents to Entropic and that Entropic later sued Comcast for infringement. MaxLinear maintains that the agreement’s specific commercial terms are not relevant to the public and are not the gravamen of Comcast’s claims against MaxLinear. The letter states that Comcast does not oppose the request.
Disposition
No disposition appears in the provided text. The document records MaxLinear’s request but does not state that Judge Hellerstein granted, denied, or otherwise ruled on it.
Read the full 2-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.