NovelPoint Tracking LLC v. Hewlett-Packard Company DC

IP Edge LLC affiliate MagnaCross LLC has filed a fresh round of lawsuits, capping off a wave of year-end litigation by other NPEs also controlled by the prolific monetization firm. The latest MagnaCross complaints target Avaya (2:16-cv-01461), Comtrend (2:16-cv-01462), EnGenius (2:16-cv-01463), Huawei (2:16-cv-01464), Juniper Networks (2:16-cv-01465), Siemens (2:16-cv-01466), and Sierra Wireless (2:16-cv-01467), accusing the companies of infringing a single patent (6,917,304) generally related to wireless data transmission through the provision of wireless access points or routers.

Venus Locations LLC has filed four new lawsuits in its sole litigation campaign, asserting a single patent (6,442,485) generally related to translating GPS location data into map data against Actsoft (2:16-cv-00983), InTouch GPS (2:16-cv-00984), Omnitracs (2:16-cv-00985), and Teletrac (2:16-cv-00986). As in Venus’s first round of litigation, which targeted various companies including AT&T, LYFT, Microsoft, SOFTBANK (Sprint), T-Mobile, Trimble Navigation, and Verizon, the NPE’s latest complaints accuse the defendants of infringement through the provision of GPS, navigation, and fleet tracking services. In April 2016, Venus Locations took this campaign over from NovelPoint Tracking LLC, an NPE formed in Texas in January 2012 by Gautham (Gau) Bodepudi, Sanjay Pant, and Lillian Woung, the principals of patent monetization firm IP Edge LLC.

A new entity has taken over assertion of a familiar patent (6,442,485), already litigated in Texas against over 100 defendants. Venus Locations LLC has filed 18 complaints alleging that various additional companies—including AT&T, LYFT, Microsoft, SOFTBANK (Sprint), T-Mobile, Trimble Navigation, and Verizon—infringe the ‘485 patent, which generally relates to translating GPS location data into map data. The complaints accuse the defendants of infringement through provision of GPS, navigation, and fleet tracking services.

NovelPoint Tracking filed four separate suits against Apple, HP, HTC, and RIM, alleging that the defendants’ smartphones infringe a patent related to GPS tracking. vehicle tracking, collision notification, and voice communication.  RPX reviewed the patent-in-suit as part of an open market opportunity (Evans GPS) in July 2010.  NovelPoint launched its litigation campaign against telematics defendants and automotive companies in 2011.  11/12, Eastern District of Texas, no judge yet assigned, 2:2012cv00713; 2:2012cv00714; 2:2012cv00715; 2:2012cv00716.