After quick dismissals in separate cases filed previously against Hyundai and Spireon, and after a late November notice of settlement was filed in a suit against Mazda, 21ST CENTURY GARAGE LLC (21st Century Garage) has kept its automotive litigation campaign alive, suing PACCAR (2:20-cv-00369) in a new Eastern District of Texas complaint. Three of the seven patents-in-campaign, of disparate origins, are asserted, with PACCAR accused of infringement through the provision of certain Peterbilt trucks that include active cruise control with braking (ACB), the Peterbilt SmartLINQ vehicle diagnostic platform, and Peterbilt trucks with CoPilot Truck (which facilitates vehicle tracking).

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.

A quick settlement has ended the first suit of 21ST CENTURY GARAGE LLC (21st Century Garage), filed against Hyundai this past May; roughly a week after District Judge Rodney Gilstrap stayed the case in light of a notice of that settlement, the plaintiff has sued Mazda (2:20-cv-00263), also in the Eastern District of Texas. The same four patents, of disparate origins, are asserted, with Mazda accused of infringement through the provision of certain automobiles that feature the MOST (Media Oriented Systems Transport) vehicle communication system, SBS (Smart Brake System) collision avoidance systems, side impact airbag systems, and the Mazda Genuine Remote Engine Start key.

The last time that Hanger Solutions, LLC—a Georgia NPE associated with monetization firm IPInvestments Group LLC (d/b/a IPinvestments Group)—assigned a set of the thousands of former Intellectual Ventures LLC (IV) patents that it picked up late last year, the recipient, 21ST CENTURY GARAGE LLC (21st Century Garage), filed suit within weeks. Earlier this month, the transfer of two patents from Hanger Solutions to Kioba Processing, LLC, also associated with IPinvestments Group, was both executed and recorded, suggesting that another new campaign is imminent. The transferred patents generally relate to fraud prevention in “network based transactions” and name David P. Cook, the founder of Blockbuster Video, as their sole inventor.

NPE litigation in the Automotive market sector during the first four months of 2020 was up nearly threefold from the same time period last year. Most recently, 21ST CENTURY GARAGE LLC and Sisvel International S.A. (d/b/a Sisvel Group) have taken aim at companies operating in the sector, but the year so far has seen new campaigns launched by plaintiffs ranging from relatively recent entrants to patent monetization (e.g., Quartz Auto Technologies, LLC) to established players (e.g., Conversant Wireless Licensing, S.à.r.l.), as well as additional cases filed in existing campaigns waged by inventor-controlled Omega Patents, L.L.C. and frequent plaintiff Leigh M. Rothschild. From wireless connectivity to more traditional automotive technologies, something about 2020 has drawn more litigation to the sector.

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.