This past December, CDN Innovations, LLC filed a Western District of Texas complaint against Sercomm (6:23-cv-00873), targeting the provision of networking products (e.g., gateways, modems, and routers) that implement port triggering with two patents generally related to detecting computer port inactivity. Early this year, Sercomm USA, a California-based subsidiary of the Taiwanese parent, filed a Northern District of California complaint against CDN Innovations (4:24-cv-00174). There, Sercomm USA seeks declaratory judgments of license, estoppel, and/or exhaustion for both patents, contending that CDN gave licenses and/or certain covenants to, or otherwise resolved claims against, Broadcom and MediaTek, asserting that because the accused products incorporate certain integrated circuits (ICs) and software from “Broadcom and/or MediaTek”, CDN is “barred, exhausted, and/or estopped” from alleging infringement.

So far in November, CDN Innovations, LLC, an entity associated with monetization firm IPInvestments Group LLC (d/b/a IPinvestments Group), has added Hon Hai Precision Industry (Linksys USA) (1:23-cv-01342) as a defendant to its sole litigation campaign, launched in May 2020. The two patents-in-suit, received from Intellectual Ventures LLC (IV), generally relate to detecting computer port inactivity. Linksys USA is accused of infringement through the provision of networking products (i.e., modems and routers) that implement port triggering.

All but one of the ten cases that CDN Innovations, LLC filed last year in its sole litigation campaign also ended last year. As the outlier—an Eastern District of Texas suit against Grande Communications Networks before District Judge Sean D. Jordan—has entered claim construction, the IPInvestments Group LLC (d/b/a IPinvestments Group) plaintiff has accused Altice (Cequel Communications) (4:21-cv-00381) of infringing an overlapping set of nine patents, received from Intellectual Ventures LLC (IV), through the provision of a variety of connected products and services, including mobile streaming apps, DVR services, remote controls with voice search support, TV guide platforms, and cable gateway/router combo devices.

RPX data indicate that since 2016, NPEs have collectively launched over 80 separate litigation campaigns asserting patents received from Intellectual Ventures LLC (IV). Meanwhile, the outflow of patents from IV persists, and divestments executed last year (primarily during the fourth quarter of 2019) continue to be recorded with the USPTO—many preceding the start of new NPE campaigns.

In mid-May, RPX reported on the connection between a bushel of the Georgia LLCs in receipt of thousands of patent assets divested by Intellectual Ventures LLC (IV) to that state’s monetization firm IPInvestments Group LLC (d/b/a IPinvestments Group). Now, several of those LLCs have filed suit, with CDN Innovations, LLC opening up a wireless communications campaign; CommWorks Solutions, LLC, networking litigation; and DigiMedia Tech, LLC, a digital camera campaign. It may not be long before the others pick patents to assert in litigation of their own.

CDN Innovations, LLC, an NPE associated with the monetization firm IPInvestments Group LLC (d/b/a IPinvestments Group), has launched its first litigation over assets from among the dozens of US patents received from Intellectual Ventures LLC (IV) in November 2019. The defendants are Broadcom (6:20-cv-00442), Hitachi (6:20-cv-00443), MediaTek (6:20-cv-00444), Microchip Technologies (6:20-cv-00445), ON Semi (6:20-cv-00446), Panasonic (6:20-cv-00447), and STMicro (6:20-cv-00448), each accused of infringing two patents generally related to controlling power levels in multicast transmission through the provision of certain wireless devices. Broadcom and Microchip Technologies are each accused of infringing separate, additional sets of patents, Broadcom two and Microchip one more. CDN Innovations is one of several associated NPEs to launch litigation this past week over former IV assets.

A series of annual statements filed in Georgia have identified an executive at Atlanta-based patent monetization firm IPInvestments Group LLC (d/b/a IPinvestments Group) as an “Authorized Person” for a group of NPEs that collectively acquired thousands of patent assets from Intellectual Ventures LLC (IV) late last year. Meanwhile, this past week saw the first outbound assignment by one of those Georgia NPEs come to light, involving over 70 US assets—followed in short order by the new assignee’s inaugural patent suit, filed against Hyundai. Patents originating with Daimer Chrysler or Intel are among those asserted.

The late 2019 peel off by Intellectual Ventures, LLC (IV) of more than 3,500 US assets to a batch of Georgia NPEs has ousted Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC from its long-held position as the top NPE assignee of IV divestitures. Meanwhile, as discussed in RPX’s Q1 in Review blog post, throughout the first quarter, NPEs continued filing new litigation asserting patents received from IV, hitting a broad range of targets, including over patents developed by major operating companies.

Public records suggest that a batch of newly formed NPEs, with apparent ties to an Atlanta law firm, are gearing up to assert multiple patent portfolios received late last year from Intellectual Ventures LLC (IV). The transacted portfolios—which were divested by IV in mid-November—comprise hundreds of US assets, as well as a number of foreign counterparts, and include patents originating with operating companies spanning multiple industries.