CardWare, Inc. has rebooted its sole litigation campaign, launched in May 2022 with a case against Samsung, with separate suits against Alphabet (Google) (7:24-cv-00278) and Apple (7:24-cv-00279) in the Western District of Texas. The six asserted patents, asserted in overlapping sets, generally relate to using Near Field Communication (NFC) technology to conduct wireless transactions. Apple is accused of infringement through the provision of products (e.g., computers, headsets, laptops, payment cards, smart watches, smartphones, and tablets) that support Apple Pay and Apple Wallet; and Google, over smartphones and smart watches that support Google Pay and Google Wallet.

CardWare, Inc. has filed a second Eastern District of Texas complaint against Samsung (2:23-cv-00187), again targeting the provision of devices (i.e., smartphones and smartwatches) that support Samsung Pay, as well as provision of the “Samsung Money payment card”—this time with a newly issued patent from the same family at issue in the case that CardWare, which has apparent funding from a third party, filed against Samsung last May. There, District Judge Rodney Gilstrap earlier this month denied a motion to transfer for convenience to the Northern District of California.

The litigation finance space saw fireworks in Q2, with Chief Judge Colm F. Connolly of the District of Delaware posting a pair of standing orders that heighten disclosure requirements in the second most popular district for patent litigation in the US—at least for cases assigned to Judge Connolly. While patent plaintiffs litigating in that courtroom are taking varied approaches to navigating (or, in some cases, avoiding) this evolving territory, RPX data and research indicate that the rate at which new third-party funded NPE campaigns are being initiated held steady in Q2.

CardWare, Inc. has launched its first litigation, suing Samsung (2:22-cv-00141) in the Eastern District of Texas, targeting the provision of mobile devices (i.e., smartphones and smartwatches) that support Samsung Pay, as well as the provision of the Samsung Mobile payment card, with five patents generally related to making wireless transactions with an electronic device that is equipped with a near-field communication (NFC) unit. Publicly available records suggest that the plaintiff is backed by third-party funding.