Early in February Microchip and its subsidiaries Atmel and Microsemi assigned another batch of US patent assets, this time 50 issued patents and a handful of additional applications, to an NPE formed in Ireland. The recipient is Sonraí Memory Limited, which Irish records link to Data Scape Limited, Neodrón Limited, and Solas OLED Limited, each of which has launched sizeable litigation campaigns that have remained active since Data Scape first began filing suit in December 2018. Prominent financial backing for the three campaigns suggests litigation from Sonraí Memory is likely coming.

Corporate filings confirm that shares in each of Data Scape, Neodrón, and Solas OLED are held by Realta Investments Ireland DAC, an entity associated with Magnetar Capital, a hedge fund—founded in 2005 and headquartered in Evanston, Illinois—with approximately $12.9B in assets under management. Further background concerning Magnetar and its connections to these Irish NPEs can be found at “Funder in Focus: Magnetar Capital” (February 2020). Irish corporate filings also indicate that Data Scape and Solas OLED have received backing from prominent litigation funder Longford Capital—see here for RPX coverage of that firm’s funding of other NPEs.

Irish corporate filings identify familiar directors for Sonraí Memory, which was formed in August 2019: Ciaran O’Gara, Sean O’Sullivan, and James Prusko, the last a senior portfolio manager at Magnetar Capital. All are also identified in connection with Data Scape, Neodrón, and Solas OLED, as are attorneys Gerald Padian and Richard G. Tashjian, principals of the New York law firm Tashjian & Padian, well known for the formation of Realtime Data LLC (RTD) and its parent Realtime Data Compression Systems, Inc., both New York entities. RTD began a litigation campaign in 2008 that has sprawled across the intervening decade, through various district courts and more than one trial. An entry point for background concerning RTD’s campaign can be found here.

The portfolio of assets transferred to Sonraí Memory contains patents generally related to memory devices, various circuit elements, chip configurations, and die fabrication, among other related subject matter. None of the patents appears to have been previously litigated.