RPX took note of several patent asset transfers to NPEs recorded during the second half of December 2016. Assignees included Texas NPE Synergy Drone LLC, Nevada NPE Jonker LLC, and Delaware NPE Empire Technology Development LLC, and the named inventors on the different patent assets form an eclectic bunch.

RPX took note of eleven patent transfers to NPEs recorded during the first half of November 2016. Assignees included entities controlled by Wi-LAN, Inc.; Marathon Patent Holdings, LLC; or IP Valuation Partners LLC; NPEs apparently affiliated with Intellectual Ventures LLC or Equitable IP Corporation; and entities managed by Erik Stamell, Leigh M. Rothschild, or Nicolas J. Labbit. Also this month, BlackBird Tech LLC, which has waged 11 litigation campaigns to date, acquired a patent that was asserted against 70 companies in a large NPE campaign that closed earlier this year.

Nbit Communications Systems, LLC, an apparent affiliate of Equitable IP Corporation, has launched a new litigation campaign, asserting a single data transmission patent (6,311,239) against DPI (1:16-cv-01057), Fujitsu (1:16-cv-01058), Funai (1:16-cv-01059), and ViewSonic (1:16-cv-01060). At issue are a variety of products incorporating HDMI, with DPI alleged to infringe the ‘239 patent through the provision of home audio systems, standalone TVs, and TVs with built-in DVD players; Fujitsu, through laptops, displays, and hardware video encoders; Funai, through Blu-ray players, DVD and VCR recording devices, DVRs, and HDTVs; and ViewSonic, through displays, network media players, and projectors.