NovelPoint Tracking LLC v. Acer America Corporation

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.

NovelPoint Tracking filed four separate suits against Acer, Pantech Wireless, Personal Communication Devices, and Toshiba alleging that the defendants’ mobile phones and tablets infringe a patent related to GPS tracking, vehicle tracking, collision notification, and voice communication.  NovelPoint Tracking has filed over 15 prior suits since April 2012 against over 20 defendants, primarily GPS technology providers.  Last month, the campaign focus shifted to mobile device companies.  The patent-in-suit was assigned to NovelPoint Tracking by inventor Wayne Evans in January 2012.  RPX reviewed the patent-in-suit as part of an open market opportunity (Evans GPS) in July 2010.  12/8, Eastern District of Texas, 2:2012cv00780; 2:2012cv00781; 2:2012cv00782; 2:2012cv00783.