Last week, an Eastern District of Texas jury returned a verdict in favor of plaintiff Pardalis Technology Licensing, L.L.C., awarding $19.5M in damages for infringement of two patents generally related to an “authoring system” for maintaining data. In its original complaint, filed in November 2022, Pardalis accused defendant IBM of infringing seven such patents, through the provision of various IBM Blockchain products. In connection with this, apparently its sole litigation to date, Pardalis Technology Licensing disclosed inventor-controlled Pardalis, Inc. (f/k/a Pardalis Software, Inc.) as its sole member, with the asserted patents subject to a security interest recorded as part of a round of such interests granted by multiple entities to the same Delaware operation.

Since late last year, RPX has flagged three batches of security agreements—each batch covering six different patent portfolios—all apparently involving the same third-party funder. Of the 18 funded patent portfolios, all but one has spawned new litigation campaigns, four having started last month. Meanwhile, public records provide hints as to the possible identity of the funder here—helpful hints, since the plaintiffs litigating in the Northern District of California or the District of New Jersey have apparently skirted, so far, respective disclosure requirements in those venues.

Pardalis Technology Licensing, L.L.C. has filed what appears to be its first patent litigation, suing IBM (2:22-cv-00452) over seven patents generally related to an “authoring system” for maintaining data. The plaintiff targets various IBM Blockchain products in the new Eastern District of Texas complaint. Pardalis Technology Licensing discloses inventor-controlled Pardalis, Inc. (f/k/a Pardalis Software, Inc.) as its sole member, with the asserted patents subject to a security interest recorded as part of a round of such interests granted by multiple entities to the same Delaware operation.

This past September, records made public by the USPTO revealed another batch of security interests in the patent portfolios separately held by six entities. Similar sets of security interests popped up last April, as well as late in 2021. After last week, of those 18 portfolios, 16 have now spawned litigation, over different subject matter, by various types of plaintiffs, all with ties back to the same apparent funder.

Since late last year, multiple sets of patent holders (six at a time) have granted a security interest in their portfolios to one of three Delaware LLCs formed by the same individual. At least a dozen new patent infringement campaigns have sprung from those apparent funding relationships—and USPTO records made public this week suggest that another six are likely coming down the pike.