RPX took notice, among the USPTO assignment records made available during the first half of August, of transactions involving recently asserted patents (e.g. to an affiliate of IP Edge LLC) as well as at least one assignment suggesting that new litigation is coming (i.e. to Red Dragon Innovations, LLC). August has also seen clean-up activity by Intellectual Ventures LLC in an ongoing automotive campaign.

In the latter half of November, RPX saw recorded patent assignments to three NPEs that had already begun litigating the patents changing hands: Serenitiva LLC, an affiliate of IP Edge LLC, recorded receipt of a single patent with a colorful ownership history from Allied Security Trust; Robert A. Westerlund’s Strategic Intellectual Solutions, LLC recorded receipt of a single patent invalidated under Alice just days ago; and the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology recorded receipt of the patent that it has just asserted in its first ever US litigation. RPX also took note of two transfers to NPEs of patents not yet related to any litigation: Conversant Intellectual Property Management, Inc. recorded receipt of over 20 patents from Panasonic, while Intellectual Discovery Co., Ltd. recorded receipt of just two patents from Pantech. Finally, RPX saw two litigating NPEs each record receipt of another batch of patents from familiar hands, Mantis Messaging, Inc. from Post SMS Global Co. Inc. (f/k/a Mobile Messenger) and DiamondOp, LLC from United Module Corporation.

In the second half of June 2016, RPX saw over 20 patent transfers to NPEs recorded with the USPTO. A number of those transactions involved patents that have been asserted in litigation against operating companies—some as recently as this past week.

Recently formed Texas NPE Mantis Communications, LLC has filed five new cases, one each against Best Buy (2:16-cv-00661), Home Depot (2:16-cv-00662), HSN (2:16-cv-00663), Jo-Ann Stores (2:16-cv-00664), and Kmart (2:16-cv-00661). The new complaints assert all patents (7,403,788; 7,792,518; 8,131,262; 8,437,784; 8,761,732; 8,938,215; 9,092,803) from a seven-patent family against each of the five retailers. The patents generally relate to direct marketing to mobile devices, with provision of the defendants’ mobile apps at issue in the campaign, which is the second to assert this portfolio in court.