Plaintiff
1 case as plaintiff.
Wi-LAN Inc. (often referred to as WiLAN) is a technology innovation and intellectual property (IP) licensing company, headquartered in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, with a U.S. headquarters in San Diego, California. Founded in 1992, WiLAN was originally an operating company developing broadband wireless technologies but pivoted its business model in 2006 to focus on the development, protection, and monetization of patented inventions through licensing. Since 2006, the company has signed license agreements valued at over $1 billion USD. Formerly a publicly traded subsidiary of Quarterhill Inc., 90% of Wi-LAN Inc. was sold in June 2023 to Owlpoint IP Opportunities JVF LP, a joint venture between Arena Investors, LP and Owlpoint Capital Management, LLC, making Wi-LAN a privately held entity. PitchBook estimates the company has 124 employees.
Wi-LAN operates as a non-practicing entity (NPE) that acquires, manages, and licenses patent portfolios across various technology verticals. Its extensive patent holdings cover diverse markets including telecommunications (e.g., Wi-Fi, WiMAX, CDMA, LTE, 4G, 5G), semiconductor memory and manufacturing, memory interfaces, digital television, consumer electronics, automotive, and voice-activated personal assistant products. The company engages in internal research and development through WiLAN Labs, focusing on advanced 4G and 5G mobile technologies.
Wi-LAN's patent litigation posture is that of an NPE asserting its acquired and internally developed portfolios. While the company states it prefers to avoid litigation, it pursues enforcement when necessary to prevent unlicensed use of its intellectual property. The case data reflects this posture, showing Wi-LAN as a plaintiff in one tracked case and a defendant in zero, consistent with a patent assertion entity.
The most recent tracked case is Wi-LAN et al. v. TCT Mobile US, Inc., filed on June 25, 2024, in the California Central District Court. In a notable recent development, a Wi-LAN subsidiary, IPA Technologies, secured a $242 million damages verdict against Microsoft in May 2024 concerning voice recognition technology used in the Cortana assistant. Wi-LAN has a history of engaging in significant licensing agreements with major technology companies globally, including Samsung, LG, Broadcom, and Nokia.
Watchlist
Email-only, free, anonymous. We'll notify you when Wi-LAN files another patent-infringement lawsuit. One-click unsubscribe from any alert.
This case, initiated by Wi-LAN and its affiliates, asserted patent infringement against TCT Mobile US, Inc. regarding TCL and Alcatel-branded devices. It was stayed following a settlement agreement and later dismissed with prejudice.