Hon Hai Precision Industry (Belkin) (2:24-cv-07486), PowerFleet (2:24-cv-00718), and Senao Networks (2:24-cv-00705) are the latest defendants to be sued in the litigation campaign that Empire IP LLC plaintiff Fleet Connect Solutions LLC (FCS) launched in December 2020 over a portfolio of patents acquired from Intellectual Ventures LLC (IV). The 14 patents-in-suit, asserted in overlapping sets, are broadly directed to various aspects of wireless communications, including container status transmission, field assessment technologies, and packet transmission. The defendants are accused of infringement through a wide array of products, ranging from fleet management systems to networking devices, with support for various wireless communication capabilities—including Bluetooth, IEEE 802.11ac/b/n, and LTE—at issue.

Fleet Connect Solutions LLC (FCS), an Empire IP LLC plaintiff, continues to expand the campaign, begun back in December 2020 over a portfolio of patents acquired from Intellectual Ventures LLC (IV), most recently suing Somfy (2:24-cv-00465) in the Eastern District of Texas over five of those assets. Targeted is the provision of “smart home hubs and ecosystems”, including the Somfy TaHoma Gateway and Somfy TaHoma Switch, that support certain features related to wireless communications, including 802.11n. FCS’s campaign is playing out in multiple venues across the country, several of which impose heightened disclosure requirements, in response to which FCS has repeatedly certified that no nonparties, including no persons, have a financial, pecuniary, or other interest in the outcome of its litigation.

Juniper Networks (1:24-cv-01935) is the latest defendant to be added to the sole litigation campaign of Fleet Connect Solutions LLC (FCS), a plaintiff associated with Texas monetization firm Empire IP LLC. In the new Northern District of Georgia complaint, FCS asserts seven wireless communications patents, each received from Intellectual Ventures LLC (IV). Juniper Networks is accused of infringement over a wide array of networking products (e.g., access points, firewalls, and routers) that support Bluetooth, IEEE 802.11ac/b/n, and LTE connectivity.

Fleet Connect Solutions LLC (FCS), a plaintiff associated with Texas monetization firm Empire IP LLC, has expanded its sole litigation campaign with separate suits against Casio Computer (2:24-cv-00240), in the Eastern District of Texas, and Wheels (1:24-cv-01563), in the Northern District of Georgia. The plaintiff asserts 13 wireless communications patents in overlapping sets, each received from Intellectual Ventures LLC (IV). FCS alleges infringement through the provision of devices that support Bluetooth, IEEE 802.11ac/b/n, and/or LTE connectivity: for Casio, certain wireless label printers and smartwatches; and for Wheels, its fleet management and vehicle telematics solutions (including certain Geotab-branded products).

In late-August, Fleet Connect Solutions LLC (FCS)—a plaintiff associated with Texas monetization firm Empire IP LLC—added a suit against Rivian Automotive (6:23-cv-00623) in the Western District of Texas. The ten asserted patents are broadly directed to various aspects of automobile and wireless communications technologies, with the defendant accused of infringement through the provision of automobiles that incorporate Rivian FleetOS, the Rivian Vehicle Care System, Driver+, Rivian Cloud, and/or Rivian’s mobile apps. At issue are features related to wireless communications (i.e., Bluetooth, IEE 802.11ac/b/n, and LTE). Since launching its sole litigation campaign in December 2020, FCS has sued nearly 25 defendants and asserted overlapping subsets of 27 patents received from Intellectual Ventures LLC (IV).

Last month, District Judge Rodney Gilstrap of the Eastern District of Texas denied an attempt to compel Fleet Connect Solutions LLC—a plaintiff associated with the monetization firm Empire IP LLC—to produce litigation funding agreements related to the NPE’s patent suit against Waste Connections. Calling the defendant’s demand for such documents “a fishing expedition”, Judge Gilstrap found that Waste Connections failed to show that litigation funding agreements are relevant to any claim or defense in the case.

In June, RPX reported the May 2020 assignment of nearly 50 US assets by Intellectual Ventures LLC (IV) to Fleet Connect Solutions LLC—a Texas entity recently formed by the principals of monetization firm Empire IP LLC. Fleet Connect has now filed its first lawsuits asserting those patents, targeting Dayton Freight Lines (4:20-cv-00280), Gentrifi (2:20-cv-00370), Goldberg Asset Management (d/b/a Efficient Fleets) (6:20-cv-01095), Melton Truck Lines (6:20-cv-01096), and Southern Glazer’s Wine and Spirits (6:20-cv-01097), formally across multiple campaigns but each over their alleged use of various Omnitracs vehicle fleet tracking systems, including electronic logging devices (ELDs), gateways, and/or telematics functionality.

USPTO records suggest that Empire IP LLC may soon join the ranks of NPEs asserting patents received from Intellectual Ventures LLC (IV). In late May, IV assigned nearly 50 US assets to Fleet Connect Solutions LLC—a Texas entity recently formed by Empire’s principals—including patents originating with Avaya, Daimler Chrysler, or Panasonic (Sanyo).