Defendant
1 case as defendant.
AutoConnect Holdings LLC is a private company formed in Delaware on February 26, 2015. It is characterized as a non-practicing entity (NPE) or patent assertion entity by industry trackers Unified Patents and RPX. Public records indicate its business type is the "leasing of intellectual property and similar products." While one of its co-founders described the firm as a "Stealth-mode IOT / Connected Car company," there is no evidence of commercial products or services. Its address has been linked to a residence in Massachusetts.
The company has no known products or operations. Instead, it holds and asserts a portfolio of patents related to connected vehicle technology. The portfolio, which reportedly includes nearly 100 U.S. patents and applications, was acquired in transactions starting in May 2015 from entities including Flex (formerly Flextronics), IP Optimum Ltd., and inventor Christopher P. Ricci. The patents cover a range of technologies, including in-vehicle infotainment systems, vehicle computer controls, network security, user profiles, and integration with platforms like Apple CarPlay and Google Android Auto.
AutoConnect's patent-litigation posture is that of an NPE asserting its acquired portfolio. As the provided case data shows, it has acted as a plaintiff in four of five tracked matters, with the single defendant case being a Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) proceeding initiated by General Motors, a typical defensive response by an accused infringer. The company has filed its lawsuits against major automakers—including General Motors, Ford, Hyundai, and Volkswagen—in plaintiff-friendly jurisdictions such as the U.S. District Courts for the Eastern and Western Districts of Texas.
The company's litigation campaign began in mid-2023. Notable defendants in its tracked cases include General Motors, Ford Motor Company, Hyundai Motor America, and Volkswagen Group of America. In response to these lawsuits, accused infringers have challenged the validity of AutoConnect's patents. For instance, General Motors filed a PTAB petition against the company, and Unified Patents has initiated ex parte reexamination proceedings against several of the asserted patents.
The petition for Inter Partes Review (IPR) was instituted. This proceeding will review the patentability of certain claims of US 9,290,153 based on prior art asserted by the petitioner. The case is currently pending a final written decision from the PTAB.