February continued the trend of reduced trolling, with indications of an uptick toward the end of the month.  Repeat filers included Hawk Technology, Guardian Media Technologies, Data Carriers, Wolf Run Hollow, Marshall Feature Recognition, Clear With Computers, Qommerce.

As usual, I prepared the report in partnership with and using Docket Navigator and its powerful database.  Docket Navigator is a valuable resource, and the place to go if you want to keep track of new patent litigation filings or want to know what is happening in particular cases, how your judge has historically handled a particular type of motion, or a particular plaintiff’s litigation history.

Finally, please let me know if you have thoughts about the report or changes you would like to see.  I am preparing it as a service for retailers and their supply chain who may want an overview of the patent litigation landscape.  So, I am very open to ways to improve the report for you.

Hawk Technology Systems, LLC v. Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, LLC, (D. Colo.; S.D. Fla.; W.D. Wis.; N.D. Ill.; C.D. Cal.; E.D. Mich.) (multiple cases).

Judge:             District Judge Jose E. Martinez; District Judge John Z. Lee; Magistrate Judge Alka Sagar; District Judge Otis D. Wright, II; Magistrate Judge Laurie J. Michelson; District Judge George Caram Steeh

Claim:             Infringement

Defendants:

  • The Ritz Carlton Hotel Company, LLC
  • NCL Corporation Ltd.
  • Woodman’s Food Market, Inc.
  • Loyola University of Chicago
  • Macerich Management Company
  • Old CF, Inc.

Plaintiff:         Hawk Technology Systems, LLC

Pls. Cnsl:        Uhrich Law Firm; Lipscomb Eisenberg & Baker; Schulz Law; Law Office of Mark I Shulman

Walgreen Co. v. CVS Caremark Corporation, (D. Del.) (multiple cases)

Claim:             Infringement

Defendants:

  • CVS Pharmacy, Inc.
  • Rite Aid Corporation
  • Rite Aid Hdqtrs. Corp.
  • mscripts, LLC
  • Shopko Stores Operating Co., LLC

Plaintiff:         Walgreen Co.

Pls. Cnsl:        McAndrews Held & Malloy; and Young Conaway Stargatt & Taylor

Patent:           8,626,530 (System and method for express refill).

Guardian Media Technologies, Ltd. v. Overstock.com, Inc., (C.D. Cal.) (multiple cases).

Judges:           District Judge Dean D. Pregerson; Magistrate Judge Ralph Zarefsky

Magistrate Judge Victor B. Kenton; District Judge George H. Wu; Magistrate Judge Jacqueline Chooljian; District Judge Christina A. Snyder; Magistrate Judge Margaret A. Nagle; District Judge S. James Otero; District Judge Gary A. Feess; Magistrate Judge Michael R. Wilner; Magistrate Judge Paul L. Abrams; District Judge Margaret M. Morrow; Magistrate Judge Margaret A. Nagle; District Judge Mariana R. Pfaelzer

Defendants:  

  • Overstock.com, Inc.
  • Best Buy Company, Inc.
  • Target Corporation
  • Costco Wholesale Corporation
  • Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
  • Sears, Roebuck and Co.
  • RadioShack Corporation

Plaintiff:         Guardian Media Technologies, Ltd.

Pls. Cnsl:        Klinedinst

Interface IP Holdings LLC v. AllianceBernstein LP, (D. Del.) (multiple cases).

Claim:             Infringement

Defendants:  

  • AllianceBernstein LP
  • Preferred Hotel Group Inc.

Plaintiff:         Interface IP Holdings LLC

Pls. Cnsl:        Black & Hamill; Farnan

Patent:           7,500,201 (Data input method and system with multi-sub-field matching of user entries into a graphical input device); and 7,406,663 (Graphical input device with dynamic field width adjustment for input of variable data via a browser-based display).

Catharon Intellectual Property, LLC v. FedEx Corporate Services, Incorporated, (E.D. Tex.).

Claim:             Infringement

Defendants:

  • Bed Bath & Beyond, Inc.
  • Flixster, Inc.
  • The Home Depot, Inc.
  • Photobucket.com, Inc.
  • United Parcel Service, Inc. 
  • Capital One Financial Corporation

Plaintiff:         Catharon Intellectual Property, LLC

Pls. Cnsl:        Ni Wang & Massand

Patent:           6,065,046 (Computerized system and associated method of optimally controlled storage and transfer of computer programs on a computer network).

Data Carriers, LLC v. Archos, Inc., (D. Del.) (multiple cases).

Claim:             Infringement

Defendants:

  • Columbia Sportswear Company
  • Corsair Components, Inc.
  • General Motors Company
  • Harry and David
  • Harry & David Operations, Inc.
  • J&R Electronics Inc.
  • RNYK LLC
  • LMC Right Start, Inc.
  • Midnight Velvet, Inc.
  • Montgomery Ward, Inc.
  • Petco Animal Supplies, Inc.
  • Sally Beauty Supply LLC
  • SkyMall Interests, LLC
  • SkyMall, LLC
  • Tory Burch, LLC
  • Valve Corporation

Plaintiff:         Data Carriers, LLC

Pls. Cnsl:        Bayard; Gardere Wynne Sewell

Patent:           5,388,198 (Proactive presentation of automating features to a computer user).

Wolf Run Hollow, LLC v. Euromarket Designs, Inc. d/b/a Crate & Barrel, (E.D. Tex., N.D. Ill.)

Judge:             District Judge Andrea R. Wood

Claim:             Infringement

Defendants:

  • Target Corporation
  • Williams – Sonoma, Inc.
  • Best Buy Co., Inc.

Plaintiff:         Wolf Run Hollow, LLC

Pls. Cnsl:        Austin Hansley; Parikh Law Group

Patent:           6,115,817 (Methods and systems for facilitating transmission of secure messages across insecure networks).

Marshall Feature Recognition, LLC v. Wendy’s International, Inc., (N.D. Ill.).

Judge:             District Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman

Claim:             Infringement

Defendant:     Wendy’s International, Inc.

Plaintiff:         Marshall Feature Recognition, LLC

Pls. Cnsl:        Parikh Law Group                                                   

Patent:           6,886,750 (Method and apparatus for accessing electronic data via a familiar printed medium).

MRL, LLC v. Hewlett-Packard Company, (N.D. Ill.).

Claim:             Infringement

Defendant:     Hewlett-Packard Company

Plaintiff:         MRL, LLC

Pls. Cnsl:        Flachsbart & Greenspoon

Patents:          5,854,985 (Adaptive omni-modal radio apparatus and methods); 6,134,453 (Adaptive omni-modal radio apparatus and methods); 6,934,558 (Adaptive omni-modal radio apparatus and methods); 6,961,584 (Tiered wireless, multi-modal access system and method); 7,343,173 (Tiered wireless, multi-modal access system and method); and 7,386,322 (Adaptive omni-modal radio apparatus and methods).

Clear With Computers, LLC v. Industrial Iron Works, Inc. d/b/a Adams Fertilizer Equipment Manufacturer, (E.D. Tex.) (multiple cases).

Claim:             Infringement

Defendants:

  • AG Systems, Inc.
  • Altec Industries, Inc.
  • Backcountry.com, Inc.
  • Bad Boy, Inc.
  • Bad Boy Mowers, Inc.
  • Great Plains Manufacturing, Inc.
  • HARDI North America, Inc.
  • Lululemon Athletica, Inc.
  • The Men’s Wearhouse, Inc.
  • ValueVision Media, Inc.
  • Tesla Motors, Inc.
  • eTrek, LLC
  • Trek Bicycle Corporation
  • Volvo Construction Equipment North America, LLC
  • Wayfair, LLC

Plaintiff:         Clear With Computers, LLC

Pls. Cnsl:        Spangler Law; Stamoulis & Weinblatt

Patents:          5,625,776 (Electronic proposal preparation system for selling computer equipment and copy machines); and 7,606,739 (Electronic proposal preparation system).

Inventor Holdings LLC v. Kmart Corporation, (D. Del.) (multiple cases).

Claim:             Infringement

Defendants:

  • Kmart Corporation
  • Google Inc.

Plaintiff:         Inventor Holdings LLC

Pls. Cnsl:        Stamoulis & Weinblatt

Patent:           6,381,582 (Method and system for processing payments for remotely purchased goods); 8,558,921 (Systems and methods for suggesting meta-information to a camera user); and 8,550,019 (Slurry applicator for an agriculture machine).

EMG Technology, LLC v. Amica Mutual Insurance Company, (E.D. Tex.) (multiple cases).

Claim:             Infringement

Defendants:

  • Branch Banking and Trust Company
  • Capital One Financial Corporation
  • Frost Bank
  • The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.
  • IKEA North America Services LLC
  • The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company
  • RE/MAX, LLC
  • The Western Union Company

Plaintiff:         EMG Technology, LLC

Pls. Cnsl:        Jeffer Mangels Butler & Mitchell; Parker Bunt & Ainsworth

Patent:           7,441,196 (Apparatus and method of manipulating a region on a wireless device screen for viewing, zooming and scrolling internet content).

Qommerce Systems, LLC v. Amway Corp., (E.D. Tex.) (multiple cases).

Claim:             Infringement

Defendants:

  • Ancestry.com, Inc.
  • Buy.com Inc. d/b/a Rakuten.com Shopping
  • Cabela’s Incorporated
  • Estee Lauder, Inc.
  • Etsy, Inc.
  • Fanatics, Inc.
  • Footlocker.com, Inc.
  • Foot Locker, Inc.
  • Gilt Groupe, Inc
  • Groupon, Inc. 
  • J Crew Group, Inc.
  • Kohl’s Corporation
  • PC Connection, Inc.
  • PCM, Inc.
  • Peapod, LLC
  • Saks Direct, LLC
  • Shop MA, Inc.
  • Wayfair, LLC
  • Weight Watchers International, Inc.
  • 1-800-Flowers.com, Inc.

Plaintiff:         Qommerce Systems, LLC

Pls. Cnsl:        Tadlock Law Firm

Patent:           7,356,606 (Dynamic web storefront technology).

Execware, LLC v. AT&T, Inc.,

Claim:             Infringement

Defendants:

  • AT&T Mobility, LLC
  • AT&T Services, Inc.
  • Barneys New York, Inc.
  • Bed Bath & Beyond, Inc., d/b/a Bed Bath & Beyond
  • buybuy BABY
  • Cost Plus World Market
  • Harmon and Harmon Face Values
  • World Market
  • World Market Stores
  • Best Buy Company, Inc.
  • BJ’s Wholesale Club, Inc.
  • Blue Nile, Inc.
  • Buy.com Inc.
  • Dollar General Corporation
  • Bloomingdale’s By Mail, Ltd.
  • Macys.com, Inc.
  • Macy’s, Inc.
  • Media Market Group,
  • Nextag, Inc.
  • Nordstrom, Inc.
  • OfficeMax North America, Inc.
  • Orbitz, LLC
  • Orbitz Worldwide, Inc.
  • Target Brands, Inc.
  • Target.com
  • Target Corporation
  • Verizon Communications, Inc.
  • Verizon Wireless, Inc.
  • Yahoo! Inc.
  • Zappos IP, Inc.
  • Office Depot, Inc.

Plaintiff:         Execware, LLC

Pls. Cnsl:        Antonelli Harrington & Thompson; Bayard

Patent:           6,216,139 (Integrated dialog box for rapidly altering presentation of parametric text data objects on a computer display).

Pollin Patent Licensing, LLC et al v. Fifth Third Bank, (S.D. Ohio).

Judge:             District Judge Michael R. Barrett

Claim:             Infringement

Defendant:     Fifth Third Bank

Plaintiffs:

  • Autoscribe Corporation
  • Pollin Patent Licensing, LLC

Pls. Cnsl:        Niro Haller & Niro; Renner Otto Boisselle & Sklar

Patent:           7,117,171 (System and method for making a payment from a financial account).

eDekka LLC v. Abercrombie & Fitch Co., (E.D. Tex.) (multiple cases).

Judge:             District Judge Rodney Gilstrap

Claim:             Infringement

Defendants:

  • Avon Products, Inc.
  • Belk, Inc.
  • Euromarket Designs, Inc.
  • LL Bean, Inc.
  • Lowe’s Home Centers, Inc.
  • MSC Industrial Direct Company Incorporated
  • Nordstrom, Inc.
  • Ralph Lauren Corporation
  • Restoration Hardware, Inc.
  • Sierra Trading Post, Inc.
  • Systemax, Inc.
  • The Home Depot U.S.A. Inc.
  • Toys “R” Us, Inc.
  • ValueVision Media, Inc.
  • Victoria’s Secret Direct Brand Management, LLC
  • Walgreen Co.
  • Walgreens.com, Inc.
  • Williams-Sonoma, Inc.

Plaintiff:         eDekka LLC

Pls. Cnsl:        Tadlock Law Firm

Patent:           6,266,674 (Random access information retrieval utilizing user-defined labels).

Celebrate International LLC v. LeapFrog Enterprises Inc. et al, (D. Del.).

Claim:             Infringement

Defendants:

  • Amazon.com, Inc.
  • LeapFrog Enterprises, Inc.
  • Target Corporation
  • Toys “R” Us, Inc.
  • Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

Plaintiff:         Celebrate International LLC

Pls. Cnsl:        Munck Wilson Mandala; Young Conaway Stargatt & Taylor

Patents:          6,256,398 (Encoding and decoding a message within an image); and 6,819,776 (Encoding and decoding a message within an image).