First Campaign Launched by Secure Communication Technologies, Never-Search Campaign Over Mapping Patents Expanded
This week, there were an average number of patent filings at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) with 38 new filings—two post grant reviews and 36 inter partes reviews (IPRs)—while the district court saw a below-average 48 new filings.
At the PTAB, Directv filed seven petitions challenging as many Entropic Communications LLC [associated with FIG LLC (d/b/a Fortress Investment Group LLC)] patents. Amazon also filed seven petitions this week, challenging five Nokia Technologies Oy [associated with Nokia Corporation] patents. Apple filed four petitions challenging four Y.M.R. Tech Ltd. and S.M.R. Innovations Ltd. patents.
The Board issued only three institution decisions this week, denying institution on the merits in two petitions jointly filed by ASUSTeK, Dell, and HP challenging one Litl LLC [associated with TRI Ventures, Inc.] patents and granting institution in a petition filed by Bowmar Archery LLC challenging a Veteran’s Innovative Products LLC and Matthew Futtere patent.
The PTAB also issued 15 final written decisions this week. The Board found all challenged claims unpatentable in four petitions filed jointly by Apple Inc., LG Electronics USA Inc., LG Electronics Inc., and Google LLC challenging three Spacetime3d Inc patents. The PTAB also issued final written decisions in three petitions, challenging two Corrigent Corp patents. With respect to one patent, the PTAB found all challenged claims unpatentable in a petition jointly filed by Dell Technologies and Cisco Systems. As for the second patent, the PTAB found only some challenged claims unpatentable in both petitions, one petition jointly filed by Dell Technologies and Cisco Systems and the second petition filed by Arista Networks, Inc. (finding the same claims patentable in both petitions).
In district court, we saw several new campaigns launch, including a first campaign by Secure Communication Technologies LLC, filing one suit against Samsung Electronics (discussed further below). Additionally, there were additional filings in Never-Search Inc.’s campaign that was launched last month (also discussed below).
Familiar entities also continued previous campaigns including Innobrilliance [associated with AppBrillianc, Inc.] asserting two patents in seven new cases, targeting retailers including Amazon, Panasonic, TCL Technology, Phillips, and Walmart. Patent Armory Inc. filed one new case asserting five patents against Global Payments Direct Inc. Mcom IP LLC [associated with Pueblo Neuvo LLC] also filed another case against American National Bank & Trust of Texas in its long-running campaign asserting a single patent related to an “electronic banking environment.” Likewise, S3G Technology LLC also continued its campaign asserting three patents against Buffalo Wild Wings Inc.
Secure Communication Technologies Launches First Campaign
This week Secure Communication Technologies launched its first campaign, filing one lawsuit against Samsung Electronics in the Eastern District of Texas. Secure Communication Technologies asserts three patents generally related to wireless communication through the use of wireless service identifiers and targets various features of Samsung devices such as laptops, smartphones, and tables, including Samsung’s Nearby Share, Quick Share, Fast Pair, Find My Mobile, and SmartThings technologies.
The asserted patents were transferred to Secure Communications Technologies in April of this year from Proxicom Wireless, LLC.
Never-Search, Inc. Campaign Expanded
Last month, Never-Search, Inc. launched its first campaign, filing one suit against Google, LLC in the Northern District of California. The complaint asserted eight patents related to “mapping technology” that “integrat[es] qualitative information associated with nearby points of interest into [] traditional geographical maps” and targeted Google Maps. This week, Never-Search expanded that campaign, filing two new suits against Microsoft Corp. and Apple, Inc. (both in the Northern District of California). The suits asserts subsets of the same eight patents asserted against Google (six patents asserted against Apple and five patents asserted against Microsoft) and accuse Apple Maps and Bing Maps of infringing the patents.
According to the complaint, the patents appear to be inventor-asserted and embodied products offered by Never-Search around 2008 that related to golf travel. However, Never-Search has not yet filed a certificate of interested parties and the USPTO does not have assignment data for the asserted patents, so this information is not confirmed.
Links to the cases discussed above and more are available in the Weekly UP, which can be found here.
Kelly Hughes
Kelly Hughes is Senior Patent Counsel at Unified Patents, LLC where she handles PTAB filings including inter partes reviews and ex parte reexamination. Prior to Unified Kelly was a litigator […see more]
