In Q3 2020, a Variety of NPEs Asserted Patents Divested from Intellectual Ventures

RPX’s latest quarterly update considers the key drivers of NPE patent litigation in Q3 2020—one of which has been the ongoing divestiture of patents from Intellectual Ventures LLC (IV). Indeed, RPX data indicate that since 2016, NPEs have collectively launched over 80 separate litigation campaigns asserting patents received from IV.

The third quarter of 2020 saw a variety of NPEs do so, including Kioba Processing, LLC—one among a group of NPEs controlled by Atlanta-based monetization firm IPInvestments Group LLC (d/b/a IPinvestments Group) that collectively received over 3,500 US assets from IV in 2019. Kioba Processing began a campaign in July targeting the financial services industry and has filed additional litigation since.

Among the other plaintiffs that also recently began asserting IV divestitures is Shamrock Innovations, LLC, which in late July launched a campaign over Serial ATA technology; and Liberty Patents LLC, an NPE with ties to several other litigating plaintiffs, which began targeting a wide range of computing products in early September. One of those other litigating plaintiffs linked to Liberty Patents is American Patents LLC, which throughout the third quarter added several defendants to an ongoing mobile devices campaign, launched in 2018, asserting IV patents. A variety of other notable plaintiffs also added to campaigns over former IV patents, including Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC subsidiary Vista Peak Ventures LLC (targeting display panels); BCS Software LLC (web-based software); 21ST CENTURY GARAGE LLC (various automotive systems); Longhorn HD LLC (network security); and Cedar Lane Technologies, Inc. (a wide range of technologies).

RPX’s analysis also reveals that Cedar Lane is among several NPEs that appear poised to launch even more litigation over assets acquired from IV—including one prospective plaintiff linked to a cadre of other litigating entities.

For more details on these likely new campaigns, as well as consideration of other forces affecting patent litigation and the patent marketplace in Q3, see RPX’s full third-quarter review.

IV Divestitures to NPEs

Note: The above graph provides a visual mapping of IV’s transactions to NPEs as shown by IV’s outbound assignments of US patents made public by the USPTO since January 1, 2016. This analysis is based on USPTO assignment data available as of September 15, 2020. The diagram also identifies the sponsoring entities (see left) of the assets divested by IV.