Blackbird Tech Accuses Netflix’s New Download Option, Others, of Infringing Patent with a Long History

Blackbird Tech LLC (d/b/a Blackbird Technologies) has launched its thirteenth litigation campaign since late 2014, asserting a single patent (7,174,362) already the subject of extensive litigation by its previous owner, Innovative Automation LLC. As RPX previously noted, Blackbird acquired the ‘362 patent in November 2016, and the NPE has now filed new cases against Mubi (1:17-cv-00099), Netflix (1:17-cv-00100), SoundCloud (1:17-cv-00101), Starz Entertainment (1:17-cv-00102), Studio 3 Partners (1:17-cv-00098), and Vimeo (1:17-cv-00103). The ‘362 patent generally relates to the duplication of digital data, and the accused products are the defendants’ apps that allow users to download video or audio files for later, offline viewing or listening.