Location Based Services, LLC v. RM Acquisition, LLC d/b/a Rand McNally

Location Based Services, LLC (LBS), an entity controlled by inventor and frequent plaintiff Leigh M. Rothschild, has opened up a second litigation campaign from a portfolio of patents received in a December 2016 transfer from Intellectual Ventures LLC (IV). The two new complaints tag Cobra Electronics (1:18-cv-00308) and Sony (1:18-cv-00283) in the District of Delaware, asserting a single patent generally related to organizing image data by, among other things, location metadata. The accused product in the Cobra Electronics complaint is its Drive HD Player for PC and Mac, while Sony is accused of infringement through provision of PlayMemories software for Mac, Windows, and PS3. LBS’s second litigation campaign comes as the NPE appeals to the Federal Circuit an Alice-related order gutting—but not ending—its first.

Display Technologies, LLC, one of the numerous NPEs controlled by inventor Leigh M. Rothschild, has filed a new round of cases in its ongoing litigation campaign. The plaintiff’s latest two lawsuits accuse Gibson Brands (Gibson Innovations) (1:17-cv-01426) and Pioneer (1:17-cv-01427) of infringement through the provision of various Bluetooth audio devices. Both are alleged to infringe through the provision of portable Bluetooth speakers, with Philips also alleged to infringe through Bluetooth-enabled home audio devices such as stereos, and Pioneer through Bluetooth-capable home theater systems. These two complaints, filed in Delaware, are the first that Display Technologies has filed outside of the Eastern District of Texas, and the first since its case against HTC was transferred from the latter district in June due to the US Supreme Court’s decision in TC Heartland.

The Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) saw the number of petitions for AIA review filed against NPEs drop by more than half in August 2017, down to 30 petitions from 68 in July. Petitions were brought in August against publicly traded Finjan Holdings, Inc., inventor Leigh M. Rothschild, and a mix of prolific private litigants, including Blackbird Tech LLC, Realtime Data LLC, and Uniloc Corporation Pty. Limited. Meanwhile, the Board instituted trial in August for petitions against a variety of entities, including the California Institute of Technology and publicly traded Quarterhill Inc. as well as IP Bridge, Inc.; Realtime Data; and Uniloc. The PTAB also issued final decisions throughout August in campaigns waged by publicly traded Acacia Research Corporation; Advanced Touchscreen and Gesture Technologies, LLC; Elm 3DS Innovations LLC; and Rosetta-Wireless Corporation.

Leigh M. Rothschild’s Location Based Services, LLC (LBS) has added AT&T, SOFTBANK (Sprint), and Verizon (Cellco) to its litigation campaign begun in February of this year. The new complaints, like their earlier counterparts, assert various combinations of a group of seven related patents acquired from Intellectual Ventures LLC (IV); at issue are the wireless carriers’ GPS navigation apps and related devices. LBS’s latest suits follow the recent transfer of its cases against Garmin and Niantic from the Eastern District of Texas to the Northern District of California, and May dismissals of MiTAC and RM Acquisitions d/b/a Rand McNally.