Patent Filings Roundup: The Return of the Founder, Retailers Target Wireless LLC, European NPE Revives 2G/3G Patent Wars

There were only 16 new patent filings at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB)—all inter partes reviews (IPRs)—this week, with a whopping 70 new district court complaints filed. Those numbers were driven primarily by: 1) frequent filer WSOU’s adding the first of what will likely be a tranche of new complaints (as is their wont) against U.S. manufacturer Dell to their ongoing campaigns against Huawei, ZTE, and Microsoft; and 2) by a sprawling suit on putative 2G and 3G patents by European patent aggregator SISVEL against at least 10 new targets, as well as various small-company disputes and the usual NPE activity.

The Founder Strikes Back: Redfin, the public real estate Internet titan, was originally incorporated as Appliance Computing, according to a rather detailed Internet account of the early years of the company. Original founder (circa 2002) David Eraker later applied for patents on 3-D imaging walk-throughs of homes and streets, eventually obtaining a portfolio of at least four patents granted in 2013 (but filed starting in 2004). He was later joined by Michael Dougherty and David Selinger, who all eventually sought financing and took the company public; Eraker exited the company officially in 2006, according to reports. In 2012, he formed an online real estate brokerage company, Surefire, which claims to be the first company to offer 3-D walk-throughs of homes. He has now sued the company he founded, Redfin, in conjunction with another corporate partner, Matterport, Inc., for allegedly copying and using the patented 3-D walk-through technology.

Target takes aim: Retailers Macy’s and Target were hit on patents related to wireless in-store apps and communications systems by 2002-era consultant and now-defunct Proxicom Wireless, LLC, revived two decades later by the co-founders (seemingly just for this suit) in the Middle District of Florida in December; Target has now filed four IPRs on the four asserted patents, which cover methods for exchanging information wirelessly between devices, including on social networks.

SISVEL rolls on: Someone should tell SISVEL that the cell phone wars are over.  This week the European patent aggregator launched at least ten new complaints against technology companies across the globe on old 2G and 3G technologies—companies including Xirgo Technologies, LLC, Dell, BLU, the UK-based Sun Cupid Technology (HK) Ltd., Verifone, HMD Global OY, HMD, OnePlus Tech. (Shenzhen), WIKO SAS, the Alcatel-Lucent/TCL entities, and now-frequent target Tesla. One has to assume that other players are either licensed or have settled any potential disputes.