J2 Global, Inc.

Company overview. J2 Global, Inc. (stylized "j2 Global"), founded in 1995 as JFax.com and incorporated as j2 Global Communications, Inc., was a Los Angeles–based technology holding company. It traded on NASDAQ under "JCOM" until October 2021, when it spun off its cloud-services business as Consensus Cloud Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ: CCSI) and renamed the remaining company Ziff Davis, Inc. (NASDAQ: ZD) — meaning J2 Global no longer exists as a standalone entity. At its peak it reported record revenue of about $1.49 billion (FY2020) and over 4,000 employees.

Products / services / operations. J2 Global operated two divisions. Business Cloud Services offered cloud communications and data-storage products, including eFax (online fax), Onebox unified messaging, eVoice, the Campaigner email-marketing platform, and cloud backup services (KeepItSafe, LiveVault), plus consumer VPN brands such as StrongVPN and SaferVPN. Its Digital Media division owned a portfolio of tech and entertainment publishers, including PCMag, IGN, AskMen, and Mashable, acquired under the Ziff Davis banner.

Patent-litigation posture. J2 Global was a classic operating company in this litigation: it has 0 tracked plaintiff cases and 1 tracked defendant case. The single suit was filed by an individual plaintiff in the Western District of Texas (Waco division, before Judge Alan D. Albright) — a venue widely regarded as plaintiff-friendly for patent cases.

Notable case. The tracked matter, Peter Henrik Pedersen v. J2 Global, Inc. (6:21-cv-01155, filed Nov. 9, 2021), asserted U.S. Patent No. 6,965,920 against J2 Global and its Canadian subsidiary, with the plaintiff alleging infringement of profile-based electronic message management technology. The case was dismissed by joint stipulation in May 2023. In related external proceedings, Unified Patents successfully challenged the same patent, with the Federal Circuit affirming its unpatentability — effectively neutralizing the asserted patent.