Last week, RPX raised the possibility of IP Edge LLC’s practices—specifically, the naming of Texas residents with seemingly no discernible connections to patent monetization as managers or managing members of most of its LLCs—sliding under the judicial microscope. On September 12, District of Delaware Chief Judge Colm F. Connolly ordered a handful of such individuals to appear, in person, at evidentiary hearings to determine whether a group of apparent IP Edge plaintiffs has complied with his standing order regarding the disclosure of any third-party litigation funding. A similar order has been issued in multiple cases associated with Dynamic IP Deals, LLC (d/b/a DynaIP), Judge Connolly setting an October hearing to determine the accuracy of those plaintiffs’ amended corporate disclosure statements. Perhaps unsurprisingly, voluntary dismissals have been noticed across these cases, ending the court’s jurisdiction over the matters.

Evidence of IP Edge LLC’s frequent practice of naming individuals—seemingly with no discernible connections to patent monetization—as managers or managing members of its various LLCs has long been reported by RPX. Now, with Amazon having recently brought that practice to the attention of Chief Judge Colm F. Connolly, and with a raft of amended disclosures filed on the same day last week by a handful of apparent IP Edge plaintiffs litigating before that same judge, the coming months may see the full extent of that setup, and its bearing on standing, come to light.

IP Edge LLC plaintiff Shingletop IP LLC has filed separate suits against Acer (6:21-cv-00861) and Sun Cupid (Nuu) (6:21-cv-00860) over the provision of devices (e.g., laptops, smartphones, and other mobile devices) that incorporate eSIM technology. Acer is further accused of infringement through the alleged use of eSIM technology provided by Gemalto, Thales Group, and Ubigi. Asserted against each defendant are three patents received in a portfolio from UK-based telecommunications company Ghost Telecom that has already spawned two other IP Edge campaigns.

Having launched over a dozen new campaigns during the first half of 2020, public records indicate that IP Edge LLC continues to create new Texas NPEs—including at least 20 in the past three months alone. It also appears to have a full pipeline of patents poised for litigation, with USPTO records reflecting a number of patent assignments to various IP Edge affiliates recorded this month. Meanwhile, multiple recent internal transfers among IP Edge NPEs gave rise to new litigation filed this past week.