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Query Optimization Campaign Launched—by IP Edge Affiliate—in Delaware
New Patent Litigation
IP Edge LLC affiliate Devine Licensing LLC has begun litigating one of the roughly dozen patents that the Texas monetization firm recently acquired from Huawei, suing SAP (1:19-cv-00784), Teradata (1:19-cv-00785), and Tmax Soft (1:19-cv-00786). In a set of complaints filed in the District of Delaware, the plaintiff accuses the defendants of infringement through the provision of database products that offer query optimization features utilizing materialized views (which are database objects that contain the precomputed results of a query, such as a local copy of remote data), calling out SAP Adaptive Enterprise Server 16.0, Teradata Database 15.10, and Tibero 6, respectively. The asserted patent, which originated with IBM, generally relates to optimizing a database query.
May 1, 2019
In Yet Another New Campaign, IP Edge Takes Aim at Security Systems and Cameras
New Patent Litigation
Pebble Tide LLC has initiated a litigation campaign over a single patent, generally related to capturing digital content and wirelessly sending it over a network such as the Internet. The NPE has accused Arlo Technologies (1:19-cv-00769), Logitech (3:19-cv-02287), and SLOMIN’S (3:19-cv-11554)—sued in Delaware, California, and New Jersey, respectively—of infringement through the provision of security systems and cameras, calling out Arlo’s Smart Home Security System, including the Arlo, Arlo Pro, Arlo Pro 2, and Arlo Ultra networked security cameras; Logitech’s Circle 2 Security Camera; and the SLOMIN’S Shield Security System and video camera. Pebble Tide is an affiliate of Texas monetization firm IP Edge LLC.
May 1, 2019
Another Portfolio of Former OpCo Patents in Hand, IP Edge Looks Poised for Yet More Litigation
Patent Market, Patent Watch
According to recently released assignment records, prolific patent plaintiff IP Edge LLC has picked up roughly a dozen US patent assets from Huawei. Some of the patents transferred originally issued to Huawei (or its subsidiary Futurewei), but the original development work for others was conducted elsewhere, including at Avici Systems (d/b/a Soapstone Networks), Fujitsu, IBM, NCR, or Panasonic (Matsushita). It has not taken the Texas monetization firm long to debut the first of those assets in litigation; last Friday, Saros Licensing LLC, a recipient of three related patents generally related to a network-connected “domestic food-processing appliance”, sued ACP (1:19-cv-00764), Haier (1:19-cv-00766), LG Electronics (1:19-cv-00765), and Traeger Pellet Grills (1:19-cv-00767) in the District of Delaware and Sub-Zero (1:19-cv-00949) in the Northern District of Ohio. Other recent activity strongly suggests that more litigation from the transacted assets is to follow.
April 28, 2019
IoT Campaign Started over Patents from Family Familiar to Litigation
New Patent Litigation
Wireless Communications Mobile LLC has launched its first litigation campaign, suing ADT (6:19-cv-00133), APX Group (Vivint) (6:19-cv-00163), and CenturyLink (6:19-cv-00135) in the Eastern District of Texas. The asserted patent generally relates to a technical data monitoring device that communicates data over a cellular connection. Infringement allegations against ADT and CenturyLink focus on products and services related to home security monitoring, while the plaintiff targets Vivint over the provision of devices including Vivint Smart Hub that monitor data from other smart home devices within a network.
April 27, 2019
QPRC Releases 2018 Financial Results, Reports Litigation Funding Deal
Patent Market, Patent Watch
Earlier this month, Quest Patent Research Corporation (QPRC) released its 2018 financial results, disclosing cash and cash equivalents of $169K, negative working capital of about $5.7M, and an accumulated deficit of approximately $18.7M as of the balance sheet date of December 31, 2018. The company’s total current assets as of December 31 were inclusive of $150K in cash received from the December sale to a litigation funder of a priority return from future net proceeds resulting from two portfolios received from Intellectual Ventures LLC (IV) (including one acquired last month for $75K). IV is also entitled to a share of proceeds from the assertion of those two portfolios—and from at least two others that it has divested to QPRC—with yet a third entity (which has a security interest in some of QPRC’s patents) also holding a stake in a number of QPRC campaigns. On the litigation front, QPRC continues to file new litigation, and it currently has at least four Markman hearings coming up between now and September.
April 26, 2019
VMware Sued over Optimization in Virtual Environments
New Patent Litigation
Cirba Inc. (d/b/a Densify) and Cirba IP, Inc. (collectively, “Densify”) have filed suit against Dell (VMware) (1:19-cv-00742) over the provision of “vRealize Operations (‘vROps’), Distributed Resource Scheduler (‘DRS’), and other related products and services”, which offer optimization in virtual environments. The plaintiffs assert two patents, the first generally related to the management of virtualized environments; the second, to monitoring resource utilization or performance data and visualizing the risk of infrastructure overload. Densify also pleads claims for unfair competition under the Lanham Act, for deceptive trade practices under Delaware law, and for common law trademark infringement (involving the use of “Densify Marks” “densify”, “densification”, and “densifying”).
April 26, 2019
Golden Wave Partners Plaintiff Launches Wi-Fi Calling Campaign
New Patent Litigation
Another affiliate of Golden Wave Partners Co., Ltd. has kicked off a US litigation campaign. On April 26, Kaifi, LLC, a Texas entity formed in mid-March, accused AT&T (2:19-cv-00138) of infringing a single patent that the plaintiff contends is “directed to an Internet network connecting and roaming system and method”. The plaintiff identifies AT&T’s accused instrumentalities as “systems, networks, and components and services thereto for implementing seamless network transition, including offloading to a Wi-Fi network, such as their Wi-Fi Calling system and service”.
April 26, 2019
PTAB Issues First AIA Review Decisions Applying Section 101 Guidance, Invalidating Financial Document Management Patents
Patent Litigation Feature
The Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) has just issued its first decisions applying the USPTO’s January Section 101 guidance in an America Invents Act (AIA) review. On April 22, the PTAB invalidated four financial document processing patents held by Mirror Imaging L.L.C. in covered business method (CBM) reviews filed by Fidelity Information Services (FIS), after ruling that the patents fell into several categories of subject matter that the guidance deems to be abstract. Since the patents did not contain a “practical application” of the claimed abstract idea, the claims failed the first step of the Alice test as implemented in the guidance. The Board then proceeded to find that the claims lacked the “inventive concept” needed to survive Alice step two. While the guidance is not binding on district courts, these rulings provide an early indication of how it might be applied in future litigation.
April 26, 2019
Recently Formed NPE Files Its First Case, Targeting Personal Hotspots
New Patent Litigation
Pennsylvania-based WiNet Labs LLC, an entity formed in Wyoming in late March, has filed suit against Apple (3:19-cv-02248) in the Northern District of California. The plaintiff accuses the tech giant of infringing a single patent generally related to a hierarchical protocol for forming an “ad-hoc network”, with infringement allegations focused on the personal hotspot feature offered by certain Apple iOS devices. WiNet Labs further pleads that its predecessor “through an agent, offered to sell the…patent to Apple” unsuccessfully at some point in 2014.
April 25, 2019
PACT XPP and Intel Quit Delaware…and Race to Either Texas or California
New Patent Litigation
Earlier this year, PACT XPP Schweiz AG filed suit against Intel in the District of Delaware over a dozen patents generally related to various aspects of multi-core chip operation. It appears that a planned motion to transfer that case out of Delaware prompted PACT XPP to voluntarily dismiss that first case, in favor of an analogous action in the Western District of Texas, filed last week, followed one day later by a declaratory judgment action filed against the patentholder in the Northern District of California by Intel. In that California complaint, Intel seeks a declaration of noninfringement of the 12 patents at issue between the parties, as well as a breach of contract judgment concerning an October 2007 covenant not to sue that Intel contends bars PACT XPP’s affirmative litigation.
April 24, 2019