A week after Epic IP LLC began asserting a single online chatting patent in a new litigation campaign, three more defendants have been hit: Fareportal (1:18-cv-00880), JAND (1:18-cv-00881), and Sharp (1:18-cv-00882). On January 24, the NPE sued AutoNation, Backblaze, and Blue Jeans Network, now accusing all six defendants of infringement through provision of live chat mechanisms on their websites. Epic IP is an apparent affiliate of IP Edge LLC, and this campaign appears to be the Texas monetization firm’s first of 2018.

Epic IP LLC, an apparent affiliate of IP Edge LLC, has initiated its first litigation campaign of 2018, asserting a single patent in three new suits, one each filed against AutoNation (1:18-cv-00139), Backblaze (1:18-cv-00141), and Blue Jeans Network (1:18-cv-00140). The patent-in-suit generally relates to online chatting, with the defendants accused of infringement through provision of live chat mechanisms on their retail websites.