Display Technologies, LLC v. Clarion Corporation of America

Display Technologies, LLC, an entity affiliated with prolific inventor and frequent plaintiff Leigh M. Rothschild, has pushed the number of defendants in its sole litigation campaign past 50, suing GM (6:21-cv-00240), Harley-Davidson (6:21-cv-00242), Honda (6:21-cv-00242), Toyota (6:21-cv-00304), and Volkswagen (Porsche) (6:21-cv-00230) in March alone. Infotainment systems are targeted, with these defendants joining several other vehicle makers in the campaign, including Aston Martin, against which Display Technologies has sought entry of a default judgment, with Rothschild providing a supportive declaration with an estimated damages range for that case.

Display Technologies, LLC, one of many NPEs controlled by inventor Leigh M. Rothschild, has sued AP Global (2:20-cv-05041), Faurecia (Clarion) (8:20-cv-01028), and Mazda (8:20-cv-01029), each in the Central District of California. A single patent generally related to wirelessly transferring media files between devices is asserted, with the defendants accused of infringement through the provision of media streaming products that feature Bluetooth connectivity: for AP Global and Mazda, the BlueSYNC BX speaker; and for Clarion, the Clarion Car Infotainment System.

NPE litigation in the Automotive market sector during the first four months of 2020 was up nearly threefold from the same time period last year. Most recently, 21ST CENTURY GARAGE LLC and Sisvel International S.A. (d/b/a Sisvel Group) have taken aim at companies operating in the sector, but the year so far has seen new campaigns launched by plaintiffs ranging from relatively recent entrants to patent monetization (e.g., Quartz Auto Technologies, LLC) to established players (e.g., Conversant Wireless Licensing, S.à.r.l.), as well as additional cases filed in existing campaigns waged by inventor-controlled Omega Patents, L.L.C. and frequent plaintiff Leigh M. Rothschild. From wireless connectivity to more traditional automotive technologies, something about 2020 has drawn more litigation to the sector.