NPEs were surprisingly active to end the fourth quarter. Frequent filers included Blackbird Technologies, Blueprint IP Solutions, Cedar Lane Technologies, Coding Technologies, Electronic Receipts Delivery Systems, Internet Media Interactive, Landmark Technology, Pebble Tide, Scanning Technologies Innovations, and Universal Ciphers.

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 your suggestions for improving the report.

Scanning Technologies Innovations LLC v. Square, Inc. (N.D. Cal.).

Judge:             Magistrate Judge Joseph C. Spero

Claims:           Infringement

Defendant:    Square, Inc.

Plaintiff:         Scanning Technologies Innovations LLC

Pls. Cnsl:        Kizzia Johnson; Nielsen Patents

Patent:           9,934,528 (Systems and methods for indicating the existence of accessible information pertaining to articles of commerce)

Pebble Tide LLC v. Branch Banking and Trust Company (W.D. Tex., N.D. Ill.) (multiple cases).

Judge:            District Judge Robert Pitman

Claims:          Infringement

Defendant:                  

  • Branch Banking and Trust Company
  • Allstate Insurance Holdings LLC
  • Government Employees Insurance Company
  • The Progressive Corporation

Plaintiff:        Pebble Tide LLC

Pls. Cnsl:        Rabicoff Law

Patent:       10,261,739 (System for capturing and outputting digital content over a network that includes the internet); 10,303,411 (Method for capturing, storing, accessing, and outputting digital content)

Cedar Lane Technologies Inc. v. GetResponse, Inc. (D. Del., N.D. Cal., S.D. Fla.) (multiple cases).

Claims:          Infringement

Defendant:    

  • GetResponse, Inc.
  • BeFunky, Inc.
  • Digital Palette LLC
  • BLU Products, Inc.

Plaintiff:        Cedar Lane Technologies Inc.

Pls. Cnsl:        O’Kelly Ernst & Joyce; Rabicoff Law; Nielsen Patents; Sand Sebolt & Wernow

Patent:           6,806,889 (Interavtive applications); 6,972,774 (Image processing system for inserting plurality of images into composite area, and medium); 7,324,689 (Method and system for removal of red eye effects); 6,473,527 (Module and method for interfacing analog/digital converting means and JPEG compression means); 6,972,790 (Host interface for imaging arrays); 7,292,261 (Virtual reality camera)

Internet Media Interactive Corp. v. IMAX Corporation (S.D.N.Y.).

Claims:          Infringement

Defendant:   IMAX Corporation

Plaintiff:        Internet Media Interactive Corp.

Pls. Cnsl:        Haller Law

Patent:           6,049,835 (System for providing easy access to the World Wide Web utilizing a published list of preselected Internet locations together with their unique multi-digit jump codes)

 Blackbird Tech LLC d/b/a Blackbird Technologies v. Discover Financial Services, Inc. (D. Del.).

Claims:           Infringement

Defendant:   Discover Financial Services, Inc.

Plaintiff:        Blackbird Tech LLC d/b/a Blackbird Technologies

Pls. Cnsl:        Stamoulis & Weinblatt; Blackbird Tech LLC d/b/a Blackbird Technologies

Patent:           7,958,214 (Method for secure transactions utilizing physically separated computers); 8,285,832 (Method for secure transactions utilizing physically separated computers); 9,424,848 (Method for secure transactions utilizing physically separated computers)

Landmark Technology A, LLC v. Amerimark Direct, LLC (S.D. Ohio, E.D. Mo.).

Judge:            District Judge Timothy S. Black

Claims:          Infringement

Defendant:    

  • AmeriMark Direct, LLC
  • Frost Electric Supply Company

Plaintiff:        Landmark Technology A, LLC

Pls. Cnsl:        Banie & Ishimoto, The Simon Law Firm

Patent:           7,010,508 (Automated multimedia data processing network)

Blueprint IP Solutions LLC v. The Walt Disney Company (M.D. Fla., S.D. Fla.) (multiple cases).

Judges:          Magistrate Judge Gregory J. Kelly; District Judge Paul G. Byron; District Judge Virginia M. Hernandez Covington; Magistrate Judge Amanda Arnold Sansone; District Judge Ursula Ungaro

Claims:          Infringement

Defendant

  • The Walt Disney Company
  • Publix Asset Management Company
  • Citibank Corporation

Plaintiff:        Blueprint IP Solutions LLC

Pls. Cnsl:        Sand Sebolt & Wernow

Patent:           8,089,980 (Method for protection switching of geographically separate switching systems)

Universal Cipher, LLC v. Fry’s Electronics, Inc. (E.D. Tex.) (multiple cases).   

Judge:            District Judge Rodney Gilstrap

Claims:          Infringement

Defendants:

  • Fry’s Electronics, Inc.
  • GameStop Corporation
  • Office Depot, Inc.
  • Staples, Inc.

Plaintiff:        Universal Cipher, LLC

Pls. Cnsl:        Kizzia Johnson

Patent:           7,721,222 (Dynamic language text generation system and method)

Symbology Innovations LLC v. Mindbody, Inc. (C.D. Cal., S.D. Cal., D. Del., N.D. Ill.) (multiple cases).

Judges:          District Judge Larry Alan Burns; Magistrate Judge Mitchell D. Dembin; District Judge Anthony J. Battaglia; Magistrate Judge Barbara Lynn Major

Claims:          Infringement

Defendants:

  • Mindbody, Inc.
  • Public Storage
  • Zara USA, LLC.
  • IKEA North American Services, LLC
  • IKEA US Retail LLC
  • Dupont de Nemours, Inc.
  • Amphenol Antenna Solutions, Inc.
  • Peapod, LLC

Plaintiff:        Symbology Innovations LLC

Pls. Cnsl:        Budo Law; Sand Sebolt & Wernow; Rabicoff Law

Patent:           8,424,752 (System and method for presenting information about an object on a portable electronic device)

Electronic Receipts Delivery Systems, LLC v. International Restaurant Management Group, Inc. (S.D. Fla., N.D. Ohio) (multiple cases).

Judges:          District Judge Marcia G. Cooke; District Judge James S. Gwin

Claims:          Infringement

Defendant:

  • International Restaurant Management Group, Inc.
  • Shake Shack Enterprises, LLC

Plaintiff:        Electronic Receipts Delivery Systems, LLC

Pls. Cnsl:        Sand Sebolt & Wernow

Patent:           8,534,551 (System and method for issuing digital receipts for purchase transactions over a network)

HTC Corporation et al v. Innovation Sciences, LLC (E.D. Va.).

Claims:          Declaratory Judgment; Infringement

Defendant:   Innovation Sciences, LLC

Plaintiffs:

  • HTC America, Inc.
  • HTC Corporation

Pls. Cnsl:        Paul Hastings

Patent:           10,104,425 (Method and system for efficient communication)

Coding Technologies, LLC v. Compass Group USA, Inc. (D. Del.) (multiple cases).           

Claims:          Infringement

Defendants:

  • Compass Group USA, Inc.
  • Kofax, Inc.
  • China Unionpay (USA), LLC

Plaintiff:        Coding Technologies, LLC

Pls. Cnsl:        Stamoulis & Weinblatt

Patent:           9,240,008 (Method for providing mobile service using code-pattern)