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.

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.

Over the course of three days, Kobace LLC filed 19 new cases, bringing the total number of defendants in its sole litigation campaign to 39. On April 6-8, the NPE sued Belk (6:16-cv-00303), Cabela’s (6:16-cv-00307), Claire’s Stores (6:16-cv-00310), Foot Locker (6:16-cv-00300), Sports Warehouse (6:16-cv-00309), Staples (6:16-cv-00313), and others, over a single patent generally related to context-based advertising (8,626,818). As in Kobace’s first wave of suits, all filed in October 2015, the new complaints accuse the defendants of infringing the ‘181 patent through their methods for generating user contexts that enable targeted advertising.

Newly formed Kobace LLC kicked off its first litigation campaign with a bang, filing twenty infringement suits in a single day against a group of e-commerce retailers and one online gaming company. The defendants include 1-800 Contacts (6:15-cv-00927), Adidas (6:15-cv-00929), Aeropostale (6:15-cv-00930), American Eagle Outfitters (6:15-cv-00931), Art.com (6:15-cv-00933), Ascena Retail Group (Lane Bryant) (6:15-cv-00943), Aveda (6:15-cv-00934), Barnes & Noble (6:15-cv-00936), Best Buy (6:15-cv-00939), Churchill Downs (Big Fish Games) (6:15-cv-00940), GameStop (6:15-cv-00942), Mattel (American Girl Brands) (6:15-cv-00932), Overstock.com (6:15-cv-00944), and Systemax (TigerDirect) (6:15-cv-00946). The complaints assert a single patent (8,626,818) that generally relates to context-based advertising. According to Kobace, the defendants’ websites infringe the ‘181 patent through their methods for generating user contexts that enable targeted advertising.