In April 2019, Zyrcuits IP LLC, an NPE apparently associated with monetization firm IP Edge LLC, picked up the bulk of the patent portfolio once held (and litigated) by Linex Technologies, Inc. Last week, Zyrcuits asserted the first of those 30 US patents, filing complaints against Signify (1:19-cv-01609), Spectrum Brands (1:19-cv-01610), Wink Labs (1:19-cv-01607), and Wirepath Home Systems (Control4) (1:19-cv-01608), in the District of Delaware and against Samsung (2:19-cv-00298) in the Eastern District of Texas. The sole asserted patent generally relates to spread-spectrum wireless data transmission, with infringement allegations targeting the provision of smart home products supporting the ZigBee wireless communications standard.

The portfolio of patents received by monetization firm IP Edge LLC from Siemens in October 2018 has now given rise to eight campaigns, with the most recent waged by plaintiff Sonohm Licensing LLC. The NPE has accused Best Buy (Great Call) (1:19-cv-01619, 1:19-cv-01620), Fry’s Electronics (2:19-cv-00297), Juniper Systems (1:19-cv-00101), and ROKit (2:19-cv-07569) of infringing up to three wireless communications patents through the provision and/or sale of various devices that use Bluetooth 4.0 technology, including various smartphones, speakers, tablets, and wireless earphones. The retailers, Best Buy and Fry’s, are accused of infringement through the sale of such products made by Amazon, ASUSTek, BLU Products, Caterpillar, CellAllure, DigiLand, Ematic, Lenovo, RugGear, and Visual Land, among others, with Best Buy’s GreatCall tagged over the provision of the Jitterbug Smart2 and Jitterbug Flip “senior cell phones”; Juniper Systems, over its “rugged” mobile devices (i.e., the CT7G, Allegro 3, and Archer 3); and ROKit, over its iO Pro 3D, 3D, Light, and One smartphones.

IP Edge LLC affiliate Anuwave LLC has filed its first new litigation since January, accusing Capitol Federal Savings Bank (1:17-cv-01054), Community Banks of Colorado (1:17-cv-01848), JPMorgan Chase (Chase Bank) (1:17-cv-01056), and TCF Financial (1:17-cv-01082) of infringing a single text messaging patent through the provision of mobile banking services. These latest complaints follow the dismissal of Anuwave’s last nine active lawsuits earlier this year, with eight cases dismissed with prejudice throughout February and March and a single suit against Evergreen Bank Group (1:17-cv-00479) dismissed without prejudice in late June.

Mozly Tech LLC, an apparent affiliate of IP Edge LLC, has filed six new cases in its sole litigation campaign in the wake of multiple dismissals. The NPE’s latest complaints target BMC Software (2:16-cv-01251), Citrix (2:16-cv-01252), Hitachi (2:16-cv-01253), iContact (2:16-cv-01254), NEC (2:16-cv-01255), and Quickbase (2:16-cv-01256) alleging that each defendant’s customer relationship management (CRM) software infringes a single patent (7,367,044) generally related to managing account permissions over a network of secure servers.

Wetro Lan LLC, an affiliate of patent monetization firm IP Edge LLC, has filed its first new cases since early 2015, bringing the number of defendants in this campaign to roughly 60. The new complaints separately assert the same patent (6,795,918) that has been at issue throughout, this time against Check Point Software (5:16-cv-00152), Comodo Group (Comodo Security Solutions) (5:16-cv-00153), Fortinet (5:16-cv-00154), Kaspersky Lab (5:16-cv-00155), and Panda Security (5:16-cv-00156). The ‘918 patent generally relates to filtering and managing data packets in networking equipment and security software; these latest defendants’ firewalls are the accused products.

Roughly one year after the last of the eight cases that Novocrypt LLC filed in February 2015 was dismissed, the NPE has revived its sole litigation campaign with a second wave. Novocrypt has filed new cases against ASUS (5:16-cv-00108), BLU Products (5:16-cv-00109), Coolpad Technologies (5:16-cv-00110), Kyocera (5:16-cv-00111), Lenovo (Motorola Mobility) (5:16-cv-00112), and Nokia (5:16-cv-00113), accusing the defendants of infringement through the sale of smartphones or tablets. A single patent (7,743,213), generally related to a portable storage device with network capability, is again asserted in these recent complaints, but the focus on smartphones and tablets, although predicted over a year ago, is new.

Texas NPE Peppermint Hills LLC has asserted a single patent (8,131,217) generally related to identifying a device via Bluetooth against Adidas, AliphCom, Garmin, Nike, Pebble Technology, Sigma Sport, Timex, TomTom, and Under Armour. The defendants are accused of infringement through provision of smartwatches and other wearable computing devices. Peppermint’s complaints mark the third time an NPE has asserted a former TeliBrahma Technologies patent acquired from Allied Security Trust (as Cactus Flower) on the same day in 2015.

Wetro Lan LLC continues to add defendants to its campaign, which has grown to over 50 defendants in the last three months. That includes sixteen new suits, filed against Edgewater Networks, Emerson Electric, Extreme Networks, Hacom, Hitron Technologies, Huawei, Juniper Networks, McAfee, Mitel Networks, Novatel, Phoenix Contact, Proxicast, Siemens, SmartRG, Sophos, and Untangle. The campaign asserts a single patent related to filtering and managing data packets (6,795,918). Like in previous suits, wireless routers made and/or sold by defendants are accused of infringement.

Following its first round of filing last month, Wetro Lan, LLC added 13 new defendants to its campaign. The entity filed suit against Aerohive, Allied Telesis, Belden, Ericsson, Moxa, Multi-Tech, Peplink, Sierra Wireless, Telular, Top Global, Uniform Industrial, Vizio, and Western Digitial, asserting the campaign’s single patent (6,795,918). Wetro Lan’s patent relates to filtering and managing data packets, and defendants’ routers are the accused products in the campaign.

Wireless routers are at issue in a campaign by new NPE Wetro Lan, LLC. The entity sued manufacturers of wireless routers, including Actiontec, ADTRAN, Airlink, Asustek, Avaya, Barracuda Networks, Belkin, Comtrend, Cradlepoint, D-Link, Encore, EnGenius, NETGEAR, Newo Corporation, Samsung, and Zhone asserting a single patent (6,795,918). The patent-in-suit was assigned to Wetro Lan by the inventor, and it relates to filtering and managing data packets.