Defendant
2 cases as defendant.
Verizon Communications Inc. (commonly known as Verizon) is a publicly traded telecommunications conglomerate headquartered in New York City. Formed on June 30, 2000, through the merger of Bell Atlantic Corp. and GTE Corp., its roots trace back to the 1983 breakup of AT&T, from which Bell Atlantic was created. Verizon trades on the New York Stock Exchange and NASDAQ under the ticker symbol VZ. As of early 2026, the company's market capitalization was approximately $197 billion. For the fiscal year 2025, Verizon reported revenues of around $138.2 billion and had approximately 89,900 employees.
Verizon is a major provider of communications, information, and entertainment products and services. Its operations are divided into two main segments: Verizon Consumer Group and Verizon Business Group. For consumers, the company offers a wide range of services, including wireless and wireline communications services, mobile phones and devices, prepaid wireless plans, and home internet services like Fios (fiber optic) and 5G Home Internet. For businesses and government customers, Verizon provides wireless and wireline services, broadband data and video, networking, security solutions, and Internet of Things (IoT) services. The company operates one of the largest wireless networks in the United States.
As a large operating company, Verizon's patent litigation profile is primarily defensive. The provided data shows the company as a defendant in both of its tracked cases, a typical posture for a major technology firm facing assertions from other entities. This aligns with Verizon being a frequent target for patent infringement lawsuits.
The plaintiffs in the tracked cases appear to be non-practicing entities (NPEs). Fleet Connect Solutions LLC is described by Unified Patents as a patent assertion entity and an affiliate of Empire IP LLC, a monetization firm. It acquired a portfolio of patents from Intellectual Ventures and has asserted them against numerous companies. Intent IQ, LLC owns patents related to cross-device ad targeting and has engaged in litigation with numerous major technology companies, including Amazon, Meta, and Roku. The cases against Verizon were filed in the Central District of California and the District of Delaware, which are common venues for patent litigation.
Patent infringement suit filed by Fleet Connect Solutions LLC against Verizon Communications Inc. asserting U.S. Patent 7,742,388.
A jury found Verizon infringed and awarded $175 million in damages, but on April 24, 2026, a federal judge overturned the verdict, ruling that Headwater had improperly delayed filing the lawsuit.