Lodsys Group filed two separate suits against Bed, Bath, & Beyond, B&H Foto & Electronics, Brooks Sports, Charter, Corbis, J&P Cycles, John Wiley & Sons, Lamps Plus, and Nordstrom, alleging that the defendants’ websites with live interactive chat and/or feedback soliciting FAQ features infringe two patents related to in-application feedback. Lodsys has sued more than 100 defendants in suits filed since February 2011.  According to the complaints, the defendants are properly joined in these two new cases because they make or utilize websites with live interactive chat technology.  The Lodsys patents were originally assigned to individual inventor Daniel Abelow and subsequently to Ferrara Ethereal. Webvention later acquired the patents-in-suit in an assignment recorded in 2009.  Webvention has been linked to Intellectual Ventures by the press.  Webvention assigned the patents to Lodsys in August 2010.  Correspondent information for Webvention and Lodsys is identical. Webvention’s demand letters have reportedly sought payments of $60,000-$80,000 from licensing targets.  According to the Lodsys Group website, more than 150 companies have obtained rights to the portfolio and more than four out of five of those companies have done so outside of the litigation process.  Lodsys Group has engaged IPMG AG (formerly Idessence AG) to conduct a non-litigation licensing program.    11/20, Eastern District of Texas, , 2:2012cv00729; 2:2012cv00730.