Untitled case

This case, Nine Stars Group USA Inc. v. Guangzhou EKO Trading Development Co., Ltd. and EKO North America, Inc., case number 5:24-cv-01843, is an active patent infringement litigation in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. It was filed on August 28, 2024. The presiding judge is Anne Hwang, with Steve Kim as the referred judge. The Central District of California is a prominent venue for intellectual property litigation, though the specific division for this case is not explicitly detailed in publicly available summaries.

The plaintiff, Nine Stars Group USA Inc., is an operating company based in California that designs, patents, and manufactures smart waste management solutions, including motion sensor and touchless trash cans. They claim to be the first company to successfully patent and manufacture motion sensor technology for trash cans. The defendants, Guangzhou EKO Trading Development Co., Ltd., and its North American subsidiary, EKO North America, Inc., are also operating companies specializing in similar household products, including smart trash cans with sensor technology. Guangzhou EKO Development Limited, headquartered in China, manufactures a variety of household items including waste bins.

The core of the dispute revolves around alleged infringement of US patent 10822165. However, publicly available information, including numerous repair parts websites, consistently identifies "W10822165" as a part number for a Whirlpool dishwasher's left lower dishrack track assembly, not a U.S. patent. This creates a significant discrepancy, as the patent number provided in the case metadata appears to correspond to a dishwasher component, which is unrelated to the smart trash can products manufactured by both the plaintiff and defendants. Without a verified U.S. patent document for "10822165" relating to motion sensor trash cans or similar technology, a technical sketch of the asserted patent cannot be provided in the context of this litigation. Therefore, the specific accused products tied to a valid patent are unclear from the current information.

The notability of this case stems from competition within the "smart" household products market, particularly touchless trash cans. Nine Stars Group's assertion of patent rights against a direct competitor, EKO, suggests a battle over market share and intellectual property in this niche. Customer reviews for Nine Stars Group products indicate a history of complaints regarding product malfunction, specifically concerning the lids of their automatic trash cans, some of which reference warranty issues and suggest the potential for a class-action lawsuit. This underlying customer dissatisfaction could add a layer of complexity or public interest to the ongoing patent dispute, though it is not directly related to the patent infringement claim itself. There is no information to suggest Nine Stars Group USA Inc. is a Non-Practicing Entity (NPE). Furthermore, searches for IPRs (Inter Partes Reviews) related to the number "10822165" did not yield any results for a U.S. patent.

This patent infringement litigation, Case No. 5:24-cv-01843, involves Nine Stars Group USA Inc. as the Plaintiff and Guangzhou EKO Trading Development Co., Ltd., EKO Group Ltd., EKO North America, Inc., and EKO USA LLC as the Defendants in the Central District of California. The case was filed on August 28, 2024, and concerns U.S. Patent 10,822,165.

Here are the key legal developments and the current posture of the case based on publicly available information:

Filing & Initial Pleadings:

• Complaint Filed: Nine Stars Group USA Inc. filed a complaint for patent infringement against the named defendants in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California on August 28, 2024.
• Counterclaims: Defendants Guangzhou EKO Trading Development Co., Ltd., EKO Group Ltd., and EKO North America, Inc. have filed counterclaims in the litigation. The specific dates for the filing of the answers and counterclaims are not readily available in the public search results without direct PACER access.

Current Posture:
As of May 22, 2026, the case is active and appears to be in its early stages of litigation, given its filing date in late 2024. Specific information regarding pre-trial motions (such as motions to dismiss, transfer, or stay), claim construction (Markman) outcomes, discovery milestones, or any trial events, verdict, or post-trial motions is not yet publicly available. It is common for cases filed in late 2024 to still be in the initial pleading or early discovery phases by mid-2026.

Parallel PTAB IPR/PGR Proceedings:
A search for Inter Partes Review (IPR) or Post-Grant Review (PGR) proceedings related to U.S. Patent 10,822,165 on the USPTO PTAB database did not yield any publicly identifiable parallel proceedings that would affect this litigation as of the current date.

To identify the counsel of record for Nine Stars Group USA Inc. in the patent infringement case 5:24-cv-01843 in the Central District of California, further investigation into public docket information is required.

As of the current search, the specific attorneys of record for the plaintiff, Nine Stars Group USA Inc., have not been explicitly listed in the search results. While the case details, including the plaintiff and defendants (Guangzhou EKO Trading Development Co., Ltd., and EKO Group Ltd.), are known, the individual attorneys and their roles have not been publicly detailed through the conducted web searches.

It is common in federal court for out-of-state attorneys to seek pro hac vice admission and associate with local counsel admitted to the Central District of California bar. Local counsel typically maintains an office within the district and can be responsible for sponsoring pro hac vice applications and ensuring compliance with local rules. However, without direct access to the case docket, the specific attorneys who have entered an appearance for Nine Stars Group USA Inc. and their respective roles (lead counsel, of counsel, local counsel, in-house) cannot be definitively determined at this time. Filings for counsel appearances or pro hac vice motions would be found within the case's docket entries.

As of the current date, May 22, 2026, publicly available web searches, including those targeting legal news sites and court records, have not definitively identified the counsel of record representing the defendants, Guangzhou EKO Trading Development Co., Ltd., and EKO Group Ltd., in the patent infringement case 5:24-cv-01843 in the Central District of California.

While the existence of the case and the parties involved is confirmed through sources like PacerMonitor and RPX Insight, these platforms often require a subscription to access detailed docket entries, which would typically list the attorneys who have entered an appearance.

There is an indication that Guangzhou EKO Trading Development Co., Ltd., along with other related entities, is involved in an inter partes review (IPR2025-01369) against Nine Stars Group (U.S.A.) Inc. at the Patent and Trademark Office concerning a different patent (10,928,796). However, this information pertains to a separate administrative proceeding and does not confirm the representation for the district court litigation.

Without direct access to the court's electronic docket (e.g., through PACER), the specific names, roles, firms, office locations, or relevant patent litigation experience of the defendant's counsel in case 5:24-cv-01843 cannot be determined at this time. It is possible that the filings containing this information are sealed, not yet widely indexed by public search engines, or are only accessible through paid legal research platforms.