British Telecommunications’ Internet Patent among those Challenged Week of October 29, 2012
| November 5, 2012
This past June, Suffolk Technologies sued AOL and Google in the Eastern District of Virginia for infringement of two Internet patents, U.S. Patent Nos. 6,334,132 and 6,081,835. Last Tuesday an anonymous party requested reexamination of the ‘835 patent (see ex parte Request No. (4)); reexamination has already been granted against the ‘132 patent. Patent Office assignment records show that the patents were originally owned by British Telecommunications and have passed through a number of hands over the past year to reach Suffolk. AOL and Google have moved to dismiss the infringement action, asserting that BT, not Suffolk, remains the real owner of the patents and that the Suffolk therefore lacks standing to sue. AOL and Google characterize the assignments are as “nothing more than a ‘hunting license.’”
Research in Motion requested inter partes review of a MobileMedia Ideas mobile device patent (see inter partes review Request No. (2)). The companies are involved in an infringement action in the Northern District of Texas.
The following inter partes review requests were filed:
(1) IPR2013-00034 (electronically filed) – U.S. Patent No. 7,970,674 entitled AUTOMATICALLY DETERMINING A CURRENT VALUE FOR A REAL ESTATE PROPERTY, SUCH AS A HOME, THAT IS TAILORED TO INPUT FROM A HUMAN USER, SUCH AS ITS OWNER and owned by Zillow, Inc. Filed October 26, 2012 by MicroStrategy, Inc. The ‘674 patent is currently the subject of a litigation styled Zillow, Inc. v. Trulia, Inc. (Case No. 2:12cv1549 (W.D. Wash.)).
(2) IPR2013-00036 (electronically filed) – U.S. Patent No. 6,871,048 entitled MOBIL COMMUNICATION APPARATUS AND INFORMATION PROVIDING SYSTEM USING THE MOBILE COMMUNICATION APPARATUS and owned by MobileMedia Ideas, LLC. Filed October 30 2012 by Research In Motion Corporation. The ‘048 patent is currently the subject of a litigation styled MobileMedia Ideas LLC v. HTC Corp. et al. (Case No. 2:10-cv-00112 (E.D. Tex.)); MobileMedia Ideas LLC v. Research In Motion Ltd. et al. (Case No. 3:11-cv-02353 (N.D. Tex.)).
The following ex parte requests were filed:
(1) 90/012,711 (electronically filed) – U.S. Patent No. 7,103,511 entitled WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS FOR PROVIDING REMOTE MONITORING OF DEVICES and owned by SIPCO LLC. Filed October 26, 2012 by Crestron Electronics Inc. The ‘511 patent is currently the subject of a litigation styled SIPCO LLC v. Crestron Electronics Inc. (Case No. 2:08-CV-359-JRG (E.D. Tex.)).
(2) 90/012,712 (electronically filed) – U.S. Patent No. 6,148,990 entitled Modular Roller-Top Conveyor Belt and owned by Laitram LLC. Filed October 29, 2012 by Laitram LLC.
(3) 90/012,713 (electronically filed) – U.S. Patent No. 5,351,285 entitled Multiple Format Telephonic Interface Control System and owned by Ronald A. Katz Technology Licensing, L.P. Filed October 29, 2012.
(4) 90/012,714 (electronically filed) – U.S. Patent No. 6,081,835 entitled Internet Server and Method of Controlling an Internet Server and owned by Suffolk Technologies, LLC. Filed October 30, 2012, perhaps by AOL or Google. The ‘835 patent is the subject of a litigation styled Suffolk Techs. v. AOL and Google (Case No. 1:12-cv-625 (E.D. Va.)).
(5) 90/012,715 (electronically filed) – U.S. Patent No. 6,166,435 entitled FLIP CHIP BALL GRID ARRAY PACKAGE WITH A HEAT SLUG and owned by Industrial Technology Research Institute. Filed November 2, 2012. The ‘629 patent is the subject of a litigation styled Industrial Technology Research Institute v. LG (Case No. 6:10-cv-629 (E.D. Tex.)).