Patent Law

Chorus

By Gary Odom and Jordan Kuhn

Patent licensing company Rembrandt IP cut its teeth in 2004, buying a nine-patent portfolio from Paradyne for $1 million. Paradyne was an AT&T spinoff. Eight of those patents went to cable modems, one to digital TV. Rembrandt then started an enforcement campaign, suing Comcast, Time Warner, Cablevision, Charter Communications, and Cox Communications, as well as the TV channels ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox.

Not to be left out of the action, six cable modem makers, including Motorola, Cisco, Thomson, and Netgear, joined the fray in a DJ motion. Rembrandt countersued.

The cases have been consolidated in Delaware.

Besides the payoff, Rembrandt seeks a brass-knuckles injunction. But, after the 2006 SCOTUS eBay ruling, no marketplace competition, no injunction. So, last year, Rembrandt packed a patent license to its newborn subsidiary Remstream, who started selling a cherry-red cable modem. Remstream has snagged at least one customer, HarborNet, a Tacoma, Washington ISP.

A defendant chorus arose, singing "sham-a-lama ding-dong." Strutting and posturing is an evolutionary behavior, well known in apes. If its effect is uncertain, it at least releases a certain amount of stress.

Previous Patent Prospector coverage.

Hat tip of thanks to Steve Lozan.

Full post as published by The Patent Prospector on June 07, 2008 (boomark / email).