Rembrandt Messaging Technologies LP

Rembrandt Messaging Technologies LP is one of several related non-practicing entities (NPEs) managed by Rembrandt IP Management, LLC, a firm that acquires and monetizes patent portfolios through litigation. These entities, including Rembrandt Technologies, LLC, Rembrandt Social Media, LP, and Rembrandt Wireless Technologies LP, do not manufacture products or provide services. An SEC filing for Rembrandt Technologies LP identifies it as a Delaware-based pooled investment fund, specifically a hedge fund, with a principal business address in Albany, New York.

The various Rembrandt entities operate as patent assertion entities, acquiring patents from third parties and filing infringement lawsuits against operating companies. The asserted portfolios have covered a wide range of technologies. For instance, Rembrandt Social Media acquired patents from the estate of a deceased Dutch programmer for a social media concept called "Surfbook" and used them to sue Facebook over features including the "Like" button. Other campaigns have involved patents on Bluetooth technology asserted against Samsung, secure boot technology asserted against Apple, mobile messaging technology, and cable modem technology asserted against dozens of cable and equipment companies.

The provided litigation data, showing one case as a defendant, is a minimal snapshot of the firm's activity and represents a defensive action at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB), likely an Inter Partes Review filed by an accused infringer. In reality, Rembrandt is a prolific plaintiff. These entities have initiated numerous infringement lawsuits, often in venues like the Eastern District of Texas. This pattern of high-volume plaintiff litigation with no operational business is characteristic of an NPE.

Rembrandt has a long and notable litigation history with mixed results. While it secured a $15.7 million jury verdict against Samsung in 2015, it lost a high-profile case against Facebook in 2014. Most significantly, a massive consolidated patent action it brought against dozens of cable companies was deemed an "exceptional case" by the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware. The court ordered Rembrandt to pay over $51 million in attorney fees to the defendants due to litigation misconduct, including improper contingent-fee payments to fact witnesses and widespread destruction of evidence (spoliation). More recently, patents formerly held by Rembrandt Messaging Technologies have been transferred to entities associated with the HBCU Tech Foundation for new assertion campaigns.