Plaintiff
3 cases as plaintiff.
CardWare Inc. is a privately held company based in Austin, Texas, officially founded as a legal entity on October 24, 2022, though some sources indicate an earlier origin in 2011. The company operates in the fintech sector, claiming to develop security solutions for payment cards, including payment validation, authentication for fraud prevention, and blacklisted databases. They have showcased products such as Card+ Pay, Card+ Cash for NFC-tap payments, SmartTokenization, and OpenToken for distributed-decentralized networks, aiming to reduce fraud and transaction costs through "Agentic AI Payments". As of July 2024, CardWare Inc. reported 11-50 employees and has indicated an "8 figure revenue," while actively seeking Series A funding.
Despite its stated product development, CardWare Inc. is characterized as a Non-Practicing Entity (NPE) or patent assertion entity by industry observers. Its patent portfolio, which includes patents related to multi-function electronic payment cards, NFC technology, and secure online interactions, forms the basis of its litigation activities. The company acquired the assets and intellectual property of CardPlus Inc. in 2017 to bolster its portfolio in mobile payments, card payments, and related technologies.
CardWare Inc.'s patent litigation posture is primarily that of a patent holder defending its intellectual property. The company is listed as a defendant in one tracked case, Unified Patents v. CardWare Inc. at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB). This PTAB proceeding, initiated by Unified Patents—an organization known for challenging patents asserted by NPEs—suggests that CardWare Inc. is a patent owner whose patents are being challenged for validity.
In a broader context beyond the tracked PTAB case, CardWare Inc. has been noted for its active patent assertion efforts. In November 2024, the company "rebooted its sole litigation campaign," filing separate lawsuits against Alphabet (Google) and Apple in the Western District of Texas. These lawsuits assert six patents related to using Near Field Communication (NFC) technology for wireless transactions, accusing the tech giants' payment platforms like Apple Pay and Google Pay of infringement.
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CardWare Inc. sued Google LLC for infringement of US Patent No. 11,176,538, among other patents, related to NFC payment technology. A motion to transfer venue to the Northern District of California was denied, and a jury trial is scheduled for May 28, 2026.
CardWare Inc. asserted US patent 11176538, among other patents, covering NFC payment technology against Apple's products and platforms. The case closed due to a joint stipulation to transfer venue on March 25, 2025.
CardWare Inc. filed disclosure of asserted claims and infringement contentions against Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. et al. in the Eastern District of Texas, involving US patent 11176538.