Lodsys
Encyclopedia
Lodsys, LLC is a company located in Marshall, Texas
. The company has been accused of patent troll
ing. On May 13, 2011, it was reported that they had demanded that a number of iOS application developers obtain licenses from them. Apple has written to Lodsys stating that Apple's licenses protect its app developers. However, Lodsys has decided to press on with their lawsuit and has sent a detailed legal response to Apple. It is possible that Lodsys is a corporate subsidiary of patent holding company Intellectual Ventures
.
The patents are: (The "908" patent) "Customer-based product design module" (The "834" patent) "Product Value Information Interchange Server" (The "078" patent) "Methods and Systems for Gathering Information from Units of a Commodity Across a Network" (The "565" patent) "Customer-based product design module"
, Novell
and Motorola
relating to their respective use of one or more Lodsys patents. Patents referenced in the suit were the "565" patent, the "078" patent, and the "908" patent.
On May 31, 2011, Lodsys asserted two of its four patents, the "565" patent and the "078" patent against:
On June 7, 2011 Foresee Results
filed for declaratory judgment against Lodsys in northern Illinois, related to Lodsys claims against Adidas
, Best Buy
and WE Energies. Foresee is represented by McDermott Will & Emery
. The claim by Foresee alleges that several Lodsys patents are invalid. The venue of Northern Illinois was chosen because Foresee asserts that Lodsys actually is doing business there rather than their published Texas location. "..this Court has personal jurisdiction over Lodsys because Lodsys' Chief Executive Officer and sole employee resides in, and conducts business from, this Judicial District." Michael Shanahan of McDermott says that the patents at issue (the same as the iPhone lawsuits) are actually invalid.
Starting in June 2011, a number of adult business have received patent infringement notices from Lodsys over the "078" patent, citing the businesses' use of interactive online advertisements, subscription models, and data collection.
Marshall, Texas
Marshall is a city in Harrison County in the northeastern corner of Texas. Marshall is a major cultural and educational center in East Texas and the tri-state area. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the population of Marshall was about 23,523...
. The company has been accused of patent troll
Patent troll
Patent troll is a pejorative but questioned term used for a person or company who is a non-practicing inventor, and buys and enforces patents against one or more alleged infringers in a manner considered by the target or observers as unduly aggressive or opportunistic, often with no intention to...
ing. On May 13, 2011, it was reported that they had demanded that a number of iOS application developers obtain licenses from them. Apple has written to Lodsys stating that Apple's licenses protect its app developers. However, Lodsys has decided to press on with their lawsuit and has sent a detailed legal response to Apple. It is possible that Lodsys is a corporate subsidiary of patent holding company Intellectual Ventures
Intellectual Ventures
Intellectual Ventures is a private company notable for being one of the top-five owners of U.S. patents, as of 2011. Its business model has a focus on developing a large patent portfolio and licensing these patents to companies. Publicly, it states that a major goal is to assist small inventors...
.
Patents
Lodsys owns four patents, all of which list Daniel H. Abelow as the inventor. The patents are related to interacting with customers over the internet in relationship to products and services. Lodsys asserts that this includes things like online help, customer support, tutorials, on-line upgrades, surveys, etc.The patents are: (The "908" patent) "Customer-based product design module" (The "834" patent) "Product Value Information Interchange Server" (The "078" patent) "Methods and Systems for Gathering Information from Units of a Commodity Across a Network" (The "565" patent) "Customer-based product design module"
History
In February, 2011 Lodsys sued several companies, including Canon, Hewlett Packard, LexmarkLexmark
Lexmark International, Inc. is an American corporation which develops and manufactures printing and imaging products, including laser and inkjet printers, multifunction products, printing supplies, and services for business and individual consumers...
, Novell
Novell
Novell, Inc. is a multinational software and services company. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Attachmate Group. It specializes in network operating systems, such as Novell NetWare; systems management solutions, such as Novell ZENworks; and collaboration solutions, such as Novell Groupwise...
and Motorola
Motorola
Motorola, Inc. was an American multinational telecommunications company based in Schaumburg, Illinois, which was eventually divided into two independent public companies, Motorola Mobility and Motorola Solutions on January 4, 2011, after losing $4.3 billion from 2007 to 2009...
relating to their respective use of one or more Lodsys patents. Patents referenced in the suit were the "565" patent, the "078" patent, and the "908" patent.
On May 31, 2011, Lodsys asserted two of its four patents, the "565" patent and the "078" patent against:
- Combay
- Iconfactory
- Illusion LabsIllusion labs- Games :Illusion Labs have produced a number of games for different platforms.* iPint* Labyrinth* Labyrinth 2* Labyrinth 2 HD* Sway* Touchgrind* Touchgrind HD* Foosball* Foosball HD* Touchgrind BMX...
- Shovelmate
- QuickOfficeQuickOfficeQuickoffice is a productivity suite for mobile devices which allows users to view, create and edit text files, presentations and spreadsheets. It consist of Quickword , Quicksheet and QuickPoint . The programs are compatible with Microsoft Office.Quickoffice is commonly used in smartphones and PDAs...
- Richard Shinderman of Brooklyn, New York
- Wulven Games of Hanoi, Vietnam
On June 7, 2011 Foresee Results
Foresee results
ForeSee is an international customer experience analytics firm based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Using the methodology of the American Customer Satisfaction Index which was founded at the University of Michigan , ForeSee continuously measures satisfaction across customer touch points and delivers...
filed for declaratory judgment against Lodsys in northern Illinois, related to Lodsys claims against Adidas
Adidas
Adidas AG is a German sports apparel manufacturer and parent company of the Adidas Group, which consists of the Reebok sportswear company, TaylorMade-Adidas golf company , and Rockport...
, Best Buy
Best Buy
Best Buy Co., Inc. is an American specialty retailer of consumer electronics in the United States, accounting for 19% of the market. It also operates in Mexico, Canada & China. The company's subsidiaries include Geek Squad, CinemaNow, Magnolia Audio Video, Pacific Sales, and, in Canada operates...
and WE Energies. Foresee is represented by McDermott Will & Emery
McDermott Will & Emery
McDermott Will & Emery LLP, also known by its initials, MWE, was founded in 1934 and is an international law firm headquartered in Chicago. It is one of the top 10 largest law firms in the United States and one of the 20 largest in the world...
. The claim by Foresee alleges that several Lodsys patents are invalid. The venue of Northern Illinois was chosen because Foresee asserts that Lodsys actually is doing business there rather than their published Texas location. "..this Court has personal jurisdiction over Lodsys because Lodsys' Chief Executive Officer and sole employee resides in, and conducts business from, this Judicial District." Michael Shanahan of McDermott says that the patents at issue (the same as the iPhone lawsuits) are actually invalid.
Starting in June 2011, a number of adult business have received patent infringement notices from Lodsys over the "078" patent, citing the businesses' use of interactive online advertisements, subscription models, and data collection.
See also
- Mobile application developmentMobile application developmentMobile application development is the process by which application software is developed for small low-power handheld devices such as personal digital assistants, enterprise digital assistants or mobile phones...
- PatentFreedomPatentFreedomPatentFreedom LLC is an on-line community of companies that share information about non-practicing entities that own and enforce patents primarily to collect license fees. Membership is restricted to companies that have more than $100 million in sales per year, exclusive of any income they...
- Patent TrollPatent trollPatent troll is a pejorative but questioned term used for a person or company who is a non-practicing inventor, and buys and enforces patents against one or more alleged infringers in a manner considered by the target or observers as unduly aggressive or opportunistic, often with no intention to...
- Software patentSoftware patentSoftware patent does not have a universally accepted definition. One definition suggested by the Foundation for a Free Information Infrastructure is that a software patent is a "patent on any performance of a computer realised by means of a computer program".In 2005, the European Patent Office...