S.Korean broadband firm, Netflix says ending all disputes over costs

By Joyce Lee

SEOUL (Reuters) -South Korean internet service provider SK Broadband and Netflix Inc said on Monday they were ending all lawsuits with each other, having earlier been in dispute over whether Netflix should pay for costs from increased network traffic and maintenance work.

SK Broadband and parent SK Telecom announced in a joint statement with Netflix that they had agreed on a partnership to release joint products and seek ways to use artificial intelligence (AI) products being developed by SK.

"Moving forward, SK Broadband and Netflix will end all disputes with the signing of today’s partnership, and collaborate as partners for the future," the statement said.

Spokespeople for Netflix and SK Broadband said both had withdrawn their lawsuits.

The two sides had been in legal dispute since 2020 over whether content providers that generate large volumes of traffic should pay for network usage, or whether that would go against the principle of 'net neutrality' and lead to higher costs for consumers.

(Reporting by Joyce Lee; Editing by Jacqueline Wong & Simon Cameron-Moore)