Datonics LLC v. LiveRamp Holdings, LLC

This patent infringement lawsuit pits two players in the digital advertising technology sector against each other. The plaintiff, Datonics LLC, is an operating company that aggregates and distributes consumer data for targeted advertising. It is a subsidiary of AlmondNet, a long-time ad-tech firm that has recently engaged in a broad patent assertion campaign against major technology companies. The defendant, LiveRamp Holdings, LLC, is a major, publicly-traded data collaboration platform that enables businesses to connect and activate their customer data for marketing and analytics. LiveRamp’s core services include "identity resolution"—unifying disparate data points into a single pseudonymous user profile (RampID)—and providing secure "data clean rooms" for companies to collaborate on datasets without sharing raw personally identifiable information. Datonics alleges that LiveRamp's data collaboration platform and its methods for creating and using audience data for targeted advertising infringe its patent.

The case, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware, centers on U.S. Patent No. 10,984,445. The '445 patent, titled "Providing collected profiles to media properties having specified interests," describes an automated system for a "profile owner" to monetize user data by matching collected user profiles with the interests of media properties (like websites), tagging the user, and tracking the profile's usage for advertising purposes. The District of Delaware is a prominent venue for patent litigation due to the large number of companies incorporated there, and its judiciary is highly experienced in handling complex patent cases.

This litigation is notable as part of a wider enforcement effort by Datonics and its parent, AlmondNet, against numerous ad-tech and data-focused companies, including Amazon, Oracle, and Adobe, often involving the same patent. The case against LiveRamp strikes at the heart of the modern programmatic advertising industry's data-driven business model. Crucially, the validity of the asserted '445 patent is under significant threat. In a parallel proceeding, the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) instituted an inter partes review (IPR) of the patent (IPR2025-00873) based on a petition filed by Amazon. The PTAB's decision to proceed indicates a reasonable likelihood that at least some of the patent's claims will be found invalid, a development that could prove fatal to Datonics's district court case against LiveRamp and its other ongoing lawsuits.

Key Legal Developments

As of May 4, 2026, the patent infringement litigation between Datonics LLC and LiveRamp Holdings, LLC is in its early stages. Key developments have been shaped by parallel proceedings at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) targeting the asserted patent.

Filing and Initial Pleadings (Chronological)

• 2025-04-10: Complaint Filed. Datonics LLC ("Datonics") filed a patent infringement lawsuit against LiveRamp Holdings, LLC ("LiveRamp") in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware. The complaint alleges that LiveRamp infringes U.S. Patent No. 10,984,445, titled "Providing collected profiles to media properties having specified interests." This case is part of a broader litigation campaign by Datonics and its parent company, AlmondNet, Inc., asserting this and related patents against numerous technology companies.
• Answer (Anticipated): LiveRamp's answer to the complaint is expected to be filed in accordance with the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. Given the filing of a parallel PTAB challenge, it is anticipated that the answer will include non-infringement and invalidity defenses and potential counterclaims for declaratory judgment of the same. However, no specific docket entry for the answer has been publicly identified at this time.

Pre-Trial Motions and Status

The district court case docket has not yet shown significant motion practice, such as motions to dismiss or transfer. It is common for defendants in such litigation campaigns to await initial developments at the PTAB before filing substantive motions in the district court. A motion to stay the district court case pending the outcome of the inter partes review is a probable future development.

Parallel PTAB Proceedings

A key development affecting this case is a challenge to the asserted patent's validity at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

• 2025-07-18: IPR Petition Filed on the '445 Patent. LiveIntent, Inc., a defendant in a similar lawsuit brought by Datonics and AlmondNet, filed a petition for inter partes review (IPR) against U.S. Patent No. 10,984,445. The case is designated IPR2025-01318.
• Status: Pending. The IPR petition is currently pending before the PTAB. The Board has not yet issued a decision on whether to institute review of the patent. This decision is a critical upcoming milestone, as a decision to institute would mean the PTAB has found a "reasonable likelihood" that at least one of the challenged patent claims is unpatentable.

The outcome of IPR2025-01318 will have a substantial impact on the litigation against LiveRamp. If the PTAB institutes review and ultimately invalidates the asserted claims of the '445 patent, Datonics' case against LiveRamp could be rendered moot.

Litigation Campaign Context

Datonics and its parent AlmondNet have filed similar lawsuits asserting the '445 patent and others from the same family against companies like Amazon, Adobe, Oracle, and LiveIntent. This multi-front litigation strategy suggests that the validity of the patent portfolio will be centrally contested at the PTAB. Notably, on April 7, 2026, AlmondNet and its subsidiaries announced a settlement and license agreement with Amazon to resolve their patent dispute, indicating a potential pathway for resolving these cases.

Outcome and Present Posture

The case remains active but is in a preliminary phase. The most significant development is the pending IPR petition (IPR2025-01318) that directly challenges the patent-in-suit. The district court proceedings will likely be heavily influenced by the PTAB's institution decision and any subsequent final written decision. There have been no settlements, dismissals, or judgments involving LiveRamp as of the current date.

Based on an analysis of the initial complaint filed in this matter, the counsel of record for plaintiff Datonics LLC has been identified.

Plaintiff's Counsel (Datonics LLC)

Stamatios Stamoulis

• Role: Lead Counsel
• Firm: Stamoulis & Weinblatt LLC (Wilmington, DE)
• Experience: Has over two decades of experience in intellectual property litigation, having practiced at O'Melveny & Myers LLP and Fish & Richardson P.C. before co-founding his current firm.

Richard C. Weinblatt

• Role: Of Counsel
• Firm: Stamoulis & Weinblatt LLC (Wilmington, DE)
• Experience: Focuses on patent litigation and appellate work, successfully arguing for the reversal of a district court's dismissal in Visual Memory, LLC v. NVIDIA Corp. at the Federal Circuit.

Stamoulis & Weinblatt LLC is a Delaware-based firm known for representing plaintiffs in patent litigation matters. Both attorneys are registered to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

Defendant Representatives

As of May 4, 2026, counsel for defendant LiveRamp Holdings, LLC has not yet formally appeared on the public docket in Datonics LLC v. LiveRamp Holdings, LLC, Case No. 1:25-cv-00579 (D. Del.).

Searches of court records and legal news databases show no responsive pleadings or notices of appearance filed by LiveRamp since the complaint was filed on April 10, 2025. Therefore, the specific lead counsel, firm, and other roles cannot be identified at this time.

It is common for a defendant to secure counsel and respond within the time frame allotted by the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure after being served with the complaint. This information will be updated once an appearance has been entered.