A clash between Netflix and Relativity Media in bankruptcy court has made public some interesting behind-the-scenes business dealings between the two companies, and in the process shed some light on the evolution of Netflix’s business and of online distribution generally.

A recent decision by the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York¹ found that a UCC-3 termination statement filed on behalf of a secured creditor was not effective because it lacked the proper authorization.