$2,000 awarded for Empire IP entity EMM Innovations multimedia patent prior art

Unified is pleased to announce PATROLL crowdsourcing contest winners, Ekta Aswal and Mani Manikandan, who shared a cash reward of $2,000 for their prior art submissions on U.S. Patent 10,776,756, owned by EMM Innovations LLC, an NPE and entity of Empire IP LLC. The ‘756 patent relates to assigning emotional selections to messages or multimedia objects on a network page. It has been asserted against Lark Technologies.

We would also like to thank the dozens of other high-quality submissions that were made on this patent. The ongoing contests are open to anyone, and include tens of thousands of dollars in rewards available for helping the industry to challenge NPE patents of questionable validity by finding and submitting prior art in the contests. Visit PATROLL today to learn more about how to participate.

WINNING SUBMISSIONS

Avant Location mobile station patent prior art found

Unified is pleased to announce prior art has been found on U.S. Patent 8,738,040, owned and asserted by Avant Location Technologies LLC, an NPE and entity of Anjay Venture Partners LLC. The ‘040 patent generally relates to methods for monitoring the presence of a mobile station. The patent has been asserted against Apple, Fibar Group, Nice Group, and Samsung.

We would also like to thank the dozens of other high-quality submissions that were made on this patent. The ongoing contests are open to anyone, and include tens of thousands of dollars in rewards available for helping the industry to challenge NPE patents of questionable validity by finding and submitting prior art in the contests. Visit PATROLL today to learn more about how to participate.

WINNING SUBMISSION

Acacia entity, Stingray IP, Wi-Fi patent challenge instituted

On January 15, 2025, two months after Unified filed an ex parte reexamination, the Central Reexamination Unit (CRU) granted Unified’s request, finding substantial new questions of patentability on all challenged claims of U.S. Patent 7,224,678, asserted by Stingray IP Solutions, an NPE and entity of Acacia Research Corporation. The ‘678 patent relates to detecting an intrusion in a network system. It is currently being asserted against Leedarson IoT, Schlage Lock, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Vivint, and Allegion.

View district court litigations by Stingray IP. Unified is represented by in-house counsel, Alyssa Holtslander and Roshan Mansinghani, in this proceeding.

To view the reexamination request, visit Unified’s Portal: https://portal.unifiedpatents.com/exparte/90019718

Lab Technology audio announcement patent challenge instituted

On January 15, 2025, less than two months after Unified filed an ex parte reexamination, the Central Reexamination Unit (CRU) granted Unified’s request, finding substantial new questions of patentability on all challenged claims of U.S. Patent 8,498,388, owned by Lab Technology LLC. The ’388 patent outlines a system and method for delivering and updating audio announcements via telecommunication devices. It is currently asserted against Amazon and Google.

View district court litigations by Lab Technology. Unified is represented by in-house counsel, Michelle Aspen and Kelly Hughes, in this proceeding.

To view the reexamination request, visit Unified’s Portal: https://portal.unifiedpatents.com/exparte/90019749

Unified is hiring for full-time Senior Patent Counsel - Apply Today!

Unified Patents is again growing its legal department, and seeks to add an experienced, registered patent attorney. Applicants should have at least 5 years of law firm or other relevant experience before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), in particular working on ex parte reexamination proceedings, post-grant petitions (IPR, PGR, and CBM), or other administrative drafting and litigation experience.

Applicants should have a strong technical background and be willing to explore diverse new technologies; experience with video codecs, coding, cryptography, compression, signals, wireless communications, or other algorithmic subject matter is a plus. Patent examination experience is a plus; a registration number is a plus; clerking experience is a plus; familiarity with ongoing appellate issues affecting PTAB practice is a plus. Must be willing to work within a team, work well independently, and enjoy writing and editing. Preference for candidates located in the Washington, DC area; remote officing is possible. Diversity is prized in our team and among our candidates. Please be prepared to discuss the administrative matters you have been involved in and be ready to provide examples.

Duties

Managing patent office proceedings internally

Drafting, filing, and litigating patent office proceedings, e.g., ex parte reexaminations

Handling calls with decision makers

Drafting motions and briefs

Supporting senior attorneys with management of ongoing matters

Support docketing, e-filing, deposit account, budgeting, and other IP functions

Editing work product of colleagues, outside counsel

Amicus curiae drafting and support; comment drafting and support

Contract, licensing, and other legal support services

Legal writing, support, and other various legal duties

Requirements

5 years of PTAB (drafting petitions, filing, litigating, deposition) experience

State Bar and Patent Registration Examination passage

Ability to work independently and in a team

Excellent English written and oral communication skills

Preferred Additional Qualities

Patent Office examination experience

Algorithmic, codec, and other code-based subject matter experience

Semiconductor, analog and integrated circuit, and fabrication experience

Appellate and/or clerking experience

EE or CS undergraduate degree

Graduate Technical (MS, MA, or PhD) degree

Willing to work from DC preferred

Benefits

Aggressive, competitive benefits, with generous vacation and paid-for health insurance and profit-sharing; freedom to work from home when appropriate; maternity and paternity leave; financial support for bar associations and continuing legal education.