ETrade Financial Corporate Services Inc. is a subsidiary of ETrade Financial, LLC, which was acquired by global financial services firm Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) in an all-stock transaction for approximately $13 billion that closed in October 2020. The parent company, E*Trade, was founded in 1982 and pioneered online brokerage. Following the acquisition, the corporate services business was integrated into the "Morgan Stanley at Work" brand, which provides workplace financial solutions to corporate clients.
The company is an operating entity that provides administration for corporate stock plans, including equity compensation and employee stock purchase plans. As part of the larger Morgan Stanley at Work offering, its services are now combined with retirement, deferred compensation, and financial wellness solutions for corporate clients and their employees. The combined Morgan Stanley at Work platforms serve the equity compensation needs of a substantial portion of major U.S. companies.
E*Trade Financial Corporate Services Inc.'s patent litigation posture, based on available data, is that of an operating company defending its business. It has been tracked in one case as a defendant and has not appeared as a plaintiff. The suit was filed in 2013 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, a venue frequently used for patent infringement lawsuits.
The single tracked case is Sampo IP, LLC v. ETrade Financial Corporate Services Inc. et al.* The plaintiff, Sampo IP, LLC, was a subsidiary of Marathon Patent Group, a company that described itself as a "patent acquisition and licensing company," indicating it is a non-practicing entity (NPE). The 2013 lawsuit named several other large corporations as co-defendants.