Telcom Ventures LLC v. Samsung

Telcom Ventures LLC, identified as an inventor-controlled patent assertion entity (PAE) and private investment firm, has initiated patent infringement litigation against Samsung, a leading South Korean multinational manufacturing conglomerate known for its consumer electronics and smartphones. The lawsuit targets Samsung's mobile payment service, Samsung Pay, and various Samsung smartphones that enable mobile payments using biometric authentication in conjunction with Near-Field Communication (NFC) or Magnetic Secure Transmission (MST) technologies.

The central patent at issue is U.S. Patent No. 10,674,432, which is broadly directed to a short-range data transfer system for executing financial transactions based on a detected physiological parameter. Telcom Ventures initially asserted eight patents from the same family, all related to performing financial transactions using a smartphone. The other asserted patents, for context, cover aspects such as smartphone communication based on proximity and short-range links (e.g., 9,832,708; 10,219,199), enabling/disabling mobile device features using physiological or environmental sensor data (e.g., 11,770,756), and authorizing financial transactions based on various data parameters including physiological data (e.g., 11,924,743). Telcom Ventures does not practice the asserted claims.

The case, Telcom Ventures LLC v. Samsung (2:24-cv-00691), was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, Marshall Division, and is presided over by Chief Judge Rodney Gilstrap, a venue often favored by patent holders for its expeditious dockets. The case is currently active with a jury selection scheduled for June 1, 2026, and a Markman hearing set for December 11, 2025. Samsung's motion to stay proceedings pending inter partes review (IPR) decisions at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) was denied in August 2025, with the court citing the prematurity of the motion as IPR institution decisions were not expected until December 2025. The case is notable due to its targeting of a widely used mobile payment system by an inventor-controlled entity, Telcom Ventures, which has also filed a parallel infringement suit against Apple asserting the same patents. Samsung has filed multiple IPRs challenging the asserted patents, including the related U.S. Patent Nos. 9,462,411 and 11,770,756. In April 2026, Samsung was granted leave to amend its invalidity contentions based on newly discovered Motorola prior art.

Telcom Ventures LLC v. Samsung: Key Legal Developments in Patent Infringement Litigation

Case Caption: Telcom Ventures LLC v. Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. et al.
Case Number: 2:24-cv-00691-JRG
Court: U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas
Filed: 2024-08
Status: Active

This summary outlines the key legal developments in the patent infringement lawsuit brought by Telcom Ventures LLC against Samsung, focusing on the asserted patent U.S. Patent No. 10,674,432, among others.

Filing & Initial Pleadings

• Complaint Filed: Telcom Ventures LLC filed its complaint for patent infringement against Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. and Samsung Electronics America, Inc. in the Eastern District of Texas on August 21, 2024. The lawsuit asserts infringement of multiple patents, including U.S. Patent No. 10,674,432. Telcom Ventures alleges that Samsung infringes these patents by making, using, offering to sell, selling, and/or importing products and associated methods, specifically targeting Samsung Pay and various Samsung smartphones that support mobile payments using biometric authentication and NFC or MST technologies.
• Disclosure of Asserted Claims: Telcom Ventures provided its Disclosure of Asserted Claims and Preliminary Infringement Contentions, identifying claims from U.S. Patent No. 10,674,432, along with seven other patents, that Samsung allegedly infringes.
• Samsung's Response Deadline: Samsung's deadline to respond to the complaint was extended to December 8, 2024.

Pre-Trial Motions of Substance

• Amended Pleadings Deadline: An Amended Docket Control Order set a deadline of August 1, 2025, for amended pleadings.
• Joint Motion to Amend Docket Control Order: On August 29, 2025, Telcom Ventures and Samsung filed a Joint Motion to Amend the Docket Control Order.
• Motions to Strike Expert Testimony: The deadline to file motions to strike expert testimony, including Daubert motions, was February 9, 2026.
• Dispositive Motions: The deadline for filing dispositive motions was February 9, 2026, with responses due by February 23, 2026. These motions would include summary judgment filings.
• Motions in Limine: Motions in limine were due by April 2, 2026.

Claim Construction (Markman)

• Markman Hearing: Multiple docket control orders indicated varying dates for a Markman Hearing. An order signed on December 23, 2024, set the Markman Hearing for October 15, 2025. Another order set it for October 28, 2025. A separate docket control order from December 6, 2024, scheduled the Markman Hearing for December 11, 2025. No public outcome of the Markman hearing or a claim construction order has been made available yet.

Discovery Milestones

• Opinion of Counsel Defenses: Parties were required to comply with P.R. 3-7 regarding opinion of counsel defenses by December 24, 2025.
• Expert Witness Disclosures: The party with the burden of proof was required to serve disclosures for expert witnesses by January 8, 2026. Disclosures for rebuttal expert witnesses were due by January 26, 2026.
• Completion of Expert Discovery: The deadline to complete expert discovery was February 4, 2026.

Trial Events

• Mediation: Mediation was scheduled to be completed by January 26, 2026.
• Joint Pretrial Order: The Joint Pretrial Order was due by February 23, 2026.
• Pretrial Conference: A Pretrial Conference was set for March 2, 2026, by an order signed on December 23, 2024. Another order from December 6, 2024, set a Pretrial Conference for April 27, 2026.
• Jury Selection: Jury selection was initially set for April 6, 2026, by a Docket Control Order signed on December 23, 2024. Other docket entries indicate jury selection was set for June 1, 2026. Given the current date of May 24, 2026, it is unclear which of these trial dates, if any, proceeded as scheduled or if the case was further delayed or settled.

Parallel PTAB IPR/PGR Proceedings

Several Inter Partes Review (IPR) proceedings have been initiated against U.S. Patent No. 10,674,432 (referred to as the '432 patent) at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB):

• IPR2025-01235 (Apple Inc. v. Telcom Ventures LLC): This IPR, challenging patent 10,674,432, was "discretionarily denied."
• IPR2025-01421 (Google LLC v. Telcom Ventures LLC): A petition for inter partes review for patent 10,674,432 was filed on August 14, 2025. Telcom Ventures LLC, as the patent owner, had three months from the August 19, 2025 notice date to file a preliminary response. The status of this IPR is also listed as "Discretionary Denial."
• IPR2025-00974 (Samsung Elec. v. Telcom Ventures LLC): This IPR, also concerning U.S. Patent No. 10,674,432, is referenced in the district court complaint. The status and outcome of this specific IPR were not immediately available.

A PTAB document indicated that a stay of the district court litigation was "likely" given the early stage of the case when discussing Telcom Ventures LLC v. Samsung Elecs. Co., Ltd., No. 2:24-cv-00691-JRG, Dkt. No. 53. However, no explicit order granting a stay has been identified in the provided information.

Final Disposition or Present Posture

The case is currently listed as "Active." Given the conflicting or past trial dates and the lack of a reported verdict or settlement, the exact current posture beyond "active" is not definitively known from the available information. The deadlines for dispositive motions, pretrial conferences, and jury selection have passed, suggesting either these events occurred, the case was postponed, or a resolution outside of a public verdict was reached.

Counsel Identified for Plaintiff Telcom Ventures LLC

Telcom Ventures LLC is represented by attorneys from Alston & Bird LLP in its patent infringement suit against Samsung in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, Case No. 2:24-cv-00691.

The following attorneys have been identified as representing Telcom Ventures LLC:

• Christopher T.L. Douglas

  • Role: Lead Counsel
  • Firm: Alston & Bird LLP, Charlotte, NC
  • Experience Note: Christopher Douglas is noted as lead counsel for Telcom Ventures LLC in related Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) proceedings, indicating his significant role in patent litigation for the firm's clients.

• Kirk T. Bradley

  • Role: Back-up Counsel
  • Firm: Alston & Bird LLP, Charlotte, NC
  • Experience Note: Kirk Bradley is also listed as back-up counsel for Telcom Ventures LLC in related PTAB matters, suggesting his involvement in patent litigation strategy.

• Mary Isabelle Riolo

  • Role: Patent Owner Counsel (appears to be involved in the district court case for the patent owner)
  • Firm: Alston & Bird LLP
  • Experience Note: Mary Riolo is a patent attorney with experience in communications, software, security, and computer architecture. She is explicitly listed as representing Telcom Ventures LLC as the Patent Owner in the Eastern District of Texas case 2:24-cv-00691.

It is worth noting that other attorneys from Alston & Bird LLP, including Emily Welch, Katherine Grayce Rubschlager, Karlee Wroblewski, and Jacob William Young, are also listed in connection with Telcom Ventures LLC in related PTAB proceedings, indicating a broader team from the firm involved in protecting Telcom Ventures' patent interests. While these individuals are linked to Telcom Ventures LLC's patent matters, their specific roles (lead, of counsel, local, in-house) within the district court case 2:24-cv-00691 are not as explicitly defined as Douglas's and Bradley's in the provided public information, though Riolo is directly linked to the district court case as patent owner counsel.

No information was found regarding D. Brian Dorris, Mark Andrew Rubeo, or S. Calvin Capshaw representing Telcom Ventures LLC in this specific case based on the provided search results.

Here is the counsel of record representing Samsung in Telcom Ventures LLC v. Samsung, Case No. 2:24-cv-00691 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas:

Paul Hastings LLP

• Andrea Pallios Roberts
  • Role: Lead Counsel (appears to be a primary attorney based on filing)
  • Firm & Office Location: Paul Hastings LLP, Palo Alto, CA
  • Relevant Experience: Andrea Pallios Roberts is a partner at Paul Hastings and co-chair of the firm's global patent litigation practice. She specializes in high-stakes patent litigation across various technologies, frequently representing major technology companies.
• Robert R. Laurenzi
  • Role: Counsel
  • Firm & Office Location: Paul Hastings LLP (office location not specified in the provided snippet but likely associated with Andrea Roberts' Palo Alto office or another major Paul Hastings IP hub)
  • Relevant Experience: Robert Laurenzi is a partner at Paul Hastings, focusing on patent litigation, particularly for technology companies.
• Matthias A. Kamber
  • Role: Counsel
  • Firm & Office Location: Paul Hastings LLP (office location not specified in the provided snippet)
  • Relevant Experience: Matthias Kamber is a partner at Paul Hastings with experience in intellectual property litigation, including patent, trade secret, and copyright matters.

Gillam & Smith, LLP

• Melissa Richards Smith
  • Role: Local Counsel (common for Eastern District of Texas cases)
  • Firm & Office Location: Gillam & Smith, LLP, Tyler, TX
  • Relevant Experience: Melissa Richards Smith is a prominent patent litigator in the Eastern District of Texas, frequently serving as local counsel in high-profile patent infringement cases.

While initial PacerMonitor results also listed attorneys from Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP and Alston & Bird, LLP, the specific docket entries (Documents 58, 59, 60) filed on September 2, 2025, indicate Andrea Pallios Roberts, Robert R. Laurenzi, and Matthias A. Kamber of Paul Hastings LLP as counsel for Defendants Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. and Samsung Electronics America, Inc.. Melissa Richards Smith of Gillam & Smith, LLP is also identified, likely serving as local counsel.## Samsung's Legal Team Emerges in Telcom Ventures Patent Suit

In the ongoing patent infringement case Telcom Ventures LLC v. Samsung (2:24-cv-00691) in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, Samsung is primarily represented by a team from Paul Hastings LLP, supported by local counsel from Gillam & Smith, LLP.

The counsel of record for Samsung, as indicated by filings in late 2025, includes:

• Andrea Pallios Roberts
  • Role: Lead Counsel
  • Firm & Office Location: Paul Hastings LLP, Palo Alto, CA
  • Relevant Experience: As co-chair of Paul Hastings' global patent litigation practice, Andrea Pallios Roberts is known for her extensive experience in high-stakes patent litigation, representing major technology companies across diverse industries.
• Robert R. Laurenzi
  • Role: Counsel
  • Firm & Office Location: Paul Hastings LLP
  • Relevant Experience: Robert Laurenzi is a partner at Paul Hastings, with a practice dedicated to patent litigation, particularly on behalf of technology sector clients.
• Matthias A. Kamber
  • Role: Counsel
  • Firm & Office Location: Paul Hastings LLP
  • Relevant Experience: Matthias Kamber is a partner at Paul Hastings, bringing experience in intellectual property litigation that spans patent, trade secret, and copyright disputes.
• Melissa Richards Smith
  • Role: Local Counsel
  • Firm & Office Location: Gillam & Smith, LLP, Tyler, TX
  • Relevant Experience: Melissa Richards Smith is a well-regarded patent litigator based in the Eastern District of Texas and frequently acts as local counsel in significant patent infringement cases within the jurisdiction.

While earlier docket monitoring services listed other firms such as Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP and Alston & Bird, LLP, subsequent specific appearances by Paul Hastings LLP attorneys in September 2025 filings confirm their roles as counsel for Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. and Samsung Electronics America, Inc..