Defendant
1 case as defendant.
BlueLinx Corporation — the operating name for BlueLinx Holdings Inc. (NYSE: BXC) — is a wholesale distributor of residential and commercial building products in the United States. It is headquartered in Marietta, Georgia, near Atlanta, and was formed in May 2004 when senior management, backed by Cerberus Capital Management, purchased the distribution division of Georgia-Pacific. It completed an IPO on the NYSE in December 2004. Per its fiscal 2024 Form 10-K, BlueLinx employed roughly 2,000 associates and reported net sales of about $2.95 billion; it is a public company with no disclosed parent.
Operations. BlueLinx is a "two-step" distributor: it buys from manufacturers and supplies dealers, cooperatives, national home centers, specialty distributors, and industrial manufacturers. Products fall into two categories — specialty products (engineered wood, siding, millwork, outdoor living, specialty lumber and panels, and industrial products; about 69% of fiscal 2024 net sales) and structural products (lumber, plywood, oriented strand board, rebar, and remesh). It also offers value-added services such as inventory stocking, intermodal distribution, milling and fabrication, and backhaul. It operates from roughly 65 warehouse and storage facilities, distributes product from over 750 suppliers, and services all 50 states.
Patent-litigation posture. BlueLinx is an operating company, and the case data reflects that: one tracked suit, as a defendant only, and zero as plaintiff. It was sued in the patent-heavy Waco Division of the Western District of Texas (Judge Alan Albright), a venue favored by plaintiffs.
Notable case. Kirsch Research & Development, LLC v. BlueLinx Corporation, No. 6:20-cv-00316 (W.D. Tex., filed April 24, 2020). Kirsch, a patent-holding/licensing entity, asserted U.S. Patent Nos. 6,308,482 and 8,765,251, directed to roofing underlayment with a woven scrim and weather-resistant barrier, against BlueLinx's resale of synthetic roof underlayment. Kirsch filed more than a dozen parallel complaints the same day against manufacturers and distributors. The court granted BlueLinx's motion to stay under the customer-suit exception, finding BlueLinx a mere reseller whose suppliers were the source of the accused products. The case was later dismissed with prejudice by stipulation.
Kirsch asserted the '482 patent against BlueLinx. The case was dismissed with prejudice as to Kirsch's claims and without prejudice as to counterclaims via Rule 41 stipulation, each side bearing its own fees.