In an Eastern District of Texas complaint, publicly traded Network-1 Technologies, Inc. has sued Samsung (2:25-cv-00667) over six patents received through a series of 2017 transactions from M2M and IoT Technologies, LLC, an IP development company headed by named inventor John A. Nix. In its most recent 10-Q, the plaintiff describes this portfolio as "relating to, among other things, enabling technology for authenticating and using eSIM (embedded Subscriber Identification Module) technology in Internet of Things ('IoT'), Machine-to-Machine, and other mobile devices, including smartphones, tablets and computers, as well as automobiles".
Targeted with the patents (11,233,780; 11,606,204; 11,916,893; 11,973,864; 12,166,869; 12,207,094) is Samsung's provision of "phones, tablets, e-readers, smart watches, and other mobile devices that support 5G and/or eSIM", including a long list of Galaxy-branded devices. Network-1 pleads willfulness based, at least in part, on Samsung's citation of several of the patents-in-suit during the prosecution of its own patents. Per its SEC filings, with respect to this portfolio, Network-1 "is obligated to pay M2M 14% of the first $100 million of net proceeds (after deduction of expenses) and 5% of net proceeds greater than $100 million from Monetization Activities (as defined) related to the patent portfolio. In addition, M2M will be entitled to receive from the Company $250,000 of additional consideration upon the occurrence of certain future events related to the patent portfolio". For more on Nix and M2M and IoT Technologies, see "Lighting Patent Portfolio Divestiture Headlines Recent Patent Assignments" (October 2024).
In Network-1's first quarter 2025 10Q, the company identifies five other portfolios, totaling 114 US patents held:
. . . (ii) the HFT patent portfolio (the "HFT Patent Portfolio") covering certain advanced technologies relating to high frequency trading, which inventions specifically address technological problems associated with speed and latency and provide critical latency gains in trading systems where the difference between success and failure may be measured in nanoseconds; (iii) the Cox patent portfolio (the "Cox Patent Portfolio") relating to enabling technology for identifying media content on the Internet and taking further actions to be performed after such identification; (iv) the smart home patent portfolio (the "Smart Home Patent Portfolio") relating to, among other things, the enabling technology to support the interoperability of smart home IoT devices; (v) the Mirror Worlds patent portfolio (the "Mirror Worlds Patent Portfolio") relating to foundational technologies that enable unified search and indexing, displaying and archiving of documents in a computer system; and (vi) the remote power patent (the "Remote Power Patent") covering delivery of Power over Ethernet (PoE) cables for the purpose of remotely powering network devices, such as wireless access ports, IP phones and network based cameras.
The "Smart Home Patent Portfolio is comprised of additional patents received from M2M and IoT Technologies, this batch on March 31, 2025. For details, see here. Network-1 has yet to litigate this portfolio. It has litigated the Cox, HFT Patent, and Mirror Worlds Portfolios, as well as the Remote Power Patent. The latter two campaigns appear to have closed, while an appeal continues in the litigation over the Cox Portfolio. There, Network-1 has appealed a summary judgment order in Alphabet (Google, YouTube)'s favor, in which the court ruled one patent-in-suit not infringed and the other two indefinite. HFT Solutions, LLC just launched its litigation in December 2024, in a pair of cases, one against each of Citadel Securities and Jump Trading. The suits are in early stages, Citadel having filed a motion to dismiss under Alice, arguing that the asserted patent claims are ineligibly directed to the abstract idea of "synchronizing signals". For additional background coverage, see "Network-1 Launches New Campaign in Which Named Inventor Retains an Interest That Accelerates After the First $50M Recovered" (December 2024).
Network-1 describes itself as "engaged in the development, licensing and protection of its intellectual property assets", identifying Corey M. Horowitz as having been its CEO and chairman since 2003. Alavi & Anaipakos PLLC; Heim, Payne & Chorush, LLP; and Miller Fair Henry PLLC all appear on the signature block of the new complaint, which has yet to be assigned to a judge. 6/27, Eastern District of Texas.
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