NPE activity eased slightly in November, as it usually does toward year end and the holidays.* Frequent filers included Cedar Lane, Digi Portal, Implicit, Noblewood IP, Optinetix, Savannah Licensing, and Tron Holdings.

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.

* Note I am catching up on a backlog because of some very busy IP litigation over the last year or so.

Cedar Lane Technologies Inc. v. Xerox Corporation (W.D. Tex., D. Del., N.D. Tex.).

Judge:             District Judge Reed O’Connor 

Claims:           Infringement

Defendants:

  • Xerox Corporation
  • Openeye US Inc. 
  • Enterprise Holdings, Inc. 
  • The Hertz Corporation 
  • Orlando Rentco LLC 
  • SIXT Rent A Car, LLC 
  • Avis Budget Group, Inc. 

Plaintiff:         Cedar Lane Technologies, Inc.

Pls. Cnsl:        Rabicoff Law; Napoli Shkolnik  

Patents:          6,473,527 (Module and method for interfacing analog/digital converting means and JPEG compression means); 6,972,790 (Host interface for imaging arrays); 8,537,242 (Host interface for imaging arrays)

Digi Portal LLC v. Five Guys Enterprises, LLC (multiple cases) (N.D. Ill.).      

Claims:           Infringement

Defendants:

  • Five Guys Enterprises, LLC 
  • Panera, LLC 

Plaintiff:         Digi Portal LLC

Pls. Cnsl:        Direction IP Law

Patents:          5,983,227 (Dynamic page generator); 7,171,414 (Dynamic page generator); 7,565,359 (Dynamic page generator); 8,352,854 (Dynamic page generator); 9,626,342 (Dynamic page generator)

eCeipt LLC v. Sams East, Inc. (W.D. Tex.).

Claims:           Infringement

Defendant:     Sam’s East, Inc.

Plaintiff:         eCeipt LLC

Pls. Cnsl:        The Mort Law Firm

Patent:            8,643,875 (Receipt handling systems, print drivers and methods thereof)

Gravel Rating Systems LLC v. The Home Depot, Inc. (multiple cases) (E.D. Tex.).    

Judge:             District Judge Amos L. Mazzant, III

Claims:           Infringement

Defendants:

  • The Home Depot, Inc. 
  • Petco Animal Supplies, Inc. 
  • PetSmart LLC 
  • Sephora USA, Inc.
  • Buth-Na-Bodhaige, Inc. d/b/a The Body Shop 
  • The Container Store, Inc. 

Plaintiff:         Gravel Rating Systems LLC

Pls. Cnsl:        Devlin Law Firm

Patent:            7,590,636 (Knowledge filter)

Implicit, LLC v. Wayfair, Inc. et al (E.D. Tex.).

Claims:           Infringement

Defendants:

  • Wayfair, Inc.
  • Wayfair LLC

Plaintiff:         Implicit, LLC

Pls. Cnsl:        Devlin Law Firm

Patent:            8,856,185 (Method and system for attribute management in a namespace)

Noblewood IP, LLC v. WMK, LLC (multiple cases) (W.D. Tex.).

Judge:             District Judge Orlando L. Garcia

Claims:           Infringement

Defendants:

  • WMK, LLC 
  • DHL Express

Plaintiff:         Noblewood IP, LLC

Pls. Cnsl:        The Mort Law Firm

Patent:            7,941,553 (Method and device for streaming a media file over a distributed information system)

Optinetix (Israel) Ltd. v. Michaels Stores, Inc. (E.D. Tex., N.D. Ohio).

Judges:           District Judge Michael J. Truncale, Magistrate Judge Pamela Meade Sargent; District Judge James P. Jones   

Claims:           Infringement

Defendants:

  • Michaels Stores, Inc.
  • Giant Eagle, Inc. 
  • K-VA-T Food Stores, Inc. d/b/a Food City 

Plaintiff:         Optinetix (Israel) Ltd.

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

Patents:          7,349,668 (Systems and methods for embedding commercial information into broadcast media)

Savannah Licensing LLC v. Citizens Financial Group, Inc. (N.D. Ohio, S.D. Ohio, E.D. Tex.).

Judges:           District Judge John R. Adams, District Judge Michael H. Watson; Magistrate Judge Elizabeth Preston Deavers, District Judge Amos L. Mazzant, III    

Claims:           Infringement

Defendants:

  • Citizens Financial Group, Inc.
  • Taco Bell Corp.
  • Quest Software, Inc.  
  • Optum, Inc.

Plaintiff:         Savannah Licensing LLC

Pls. Cnsl:        Sand Sebolt & Wernow

Patents:          8,680,992 (Measuring and improving the quality of a user experience); 9,454,777 (Measuring and improving the quality of a user experience upon receiving a frustration event package)

Tron Holdings, LLC v. Trivago NV (W.D. Tex.).

Claims:           Infringement

Defendant:     Trivago NV

Plaintiff:         Tron Holdings, LLC

Pls. Cnsl:        Rabicoff Law

Patents:          9,524,513 (System and method of advertising for use on internet and/or digital networking capable devices); 9,870,575 (Advertising during the loading of content)