Assignment history

Inventors

The named inventors are Erik R. Swenson, Jaime Heilpern, Sandeep Pombra, Ron Earley, and Vadim Arshanskiy. The patent application was filed by Performance And Privacy Ireland Ltd. on September 15, 2017. An assignment record dated May 31, 2018, indicates that the inventors assigned their interest to Skyfire Labs, Inc.. Skyfire Labs, Inc. had been acquired by Opera Software in 2013, prior to the filing date of this patent. Performance And Privacy Ireland Ltd. is also associated with Opera Software. This suggests that the inventors were likely employed by, or had assigned their rights to, an entity within the Opera ecosystem at the time of filing.

Original assignee

The entity named as the original assignee on the issued patent is Performance And Privacy Ireland Ltd. Performance And Privacy Ireland Ltd. is associated with Opera Software, a company known for its web browser and mobile content optimization solutions. Based on the patent's subject matter (optimizing video caching for mobile devices), Performance And Privacy Ireland Ltd.'s primary line of business, or that of its parent company Opera, would be in developing and providing software and services related to internet browsing and data optimization. The patent text does not explicitly state that Performance And Privacy Ireland Ltd. shipped a product embodying the claims directly. According to the assignment history, Performance And Privacy Ireland Ltd. subsequently assigned the patent to Otello Corporation ASA in March 2023.

Assignment timeline

The following assignment information is derived from the "Legal status" section of Google Patents, as a live USPTO assignment search could not be performed. Therefore, specific Reel/Frame numbers and Correspondent details are not available.

• 2018-05-31 (executed) / recorded 2018-05-31 — Reel Not available/Frame Not available
  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST
  • Assignor: EARLEY, Ron, HEILPERN, JAIME, POMBRA, SANDEEP, SWENSON, ERIK R., ARSHANSKIY, Vadim (Inventors)
  • Assignee: SKYFIRE LABS, INC.
  • Correspondent: Not available from source.
  • Context: Transfer of inventor rights to an entity within the broader corporate structure.
• 2018-05-31 (executed) / recorded 2018-05-31 — Reel Not available/Frame Not available
  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST
  • Assignor: SKYFIRE LABS, INC.
  • Assignee: OPERA SOFTWARE IRELAND LIMITED
  • Correspondent: Not available from source.
  • Context: Internal corporate transfer following the inventor assignment.
• 2018-05-31 (executed) / recorded 2018-05-31 — Reel Not available/Frame Not available
  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST
  • Assignor: OPERA SOFTWARE IRELAND LTD.
  • Assignee: PERFORMANCE AND PRIVACY IRELAND LTD.
  • Correspondent: Not available from source.
  • Context: Internal corporate transfer, returning ownership to the original applicant. This completes a series of internal reorganizational assignments.
• 2023-03-29 (executed) / recorded 2023-03-29 — Reel Not available/Frame Not available
  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST
  • Assignor: Performance and Privacy Ireland Limited
  • Assignee: OTELLO CORPORATION ASA
  • Correspondent: Not available from source.
  • Context: Corporate transfer as part of a divestiture or internal restructuring (Otello was formerly Opera Software ASA).
• 2025-05-04 (executed) / recorded 2025-05-04 — Reel Not available/Frame Not available
  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST
  • Assignor: OTELLO CORPORATION ASA
  • Assignee: TIR TECHNOLOGIES LIMITED
  • Correspondent: Not available from source.
  • Context: Transfer to a new entity, TIR Technologies Limited.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 10484442
    2017 : Filed by Performance And Privacy Ireland Ltd
    2018 : Inventors assign to Skyfire Labs Inc
         : Skyfire Labs assigns to Opera Software Ireland
         : Opera Software Ireland assigns to Performance And Privacy Ireland Ltd
    2019 : Issued to Performance And Privacy Ireland Ltd
    2023 : Assigned to Otello Corporation ASA
    2025 : Assigned to Tir Technologies Limited

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — unclear. While TIR TECHNOLOGIES LIMITED (current assignee) might be a licensing-focused entity, without details on its business operations, product offerings, or registered address, it's not possible to definitively classify it as a shell entity from the available information. The immediate assignor, Otello Corporation ASA, is an operating company.
2. Known asserter in the chain — not present. None of the assignees listed (Performance And Privacy Ireland Ltd., Skyfire Labs, Inc., Opera Software Ireland Limited, Otello Corporation ASA, or TIR TECHNOLOGIES LIMITED) are widely recognized as high-frequency NPEs in public databases such as RPX or Unified Patents, based on the provided data.
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — unclear. Correspondent information is not available from the Google Patents "Legal status" section. A live USPTO Assignment Center search would be required to assess this signal.
4. Cascading transfers — present. A rapid succession of three assignments occurred on the same day, May 31, 2018. This chain involved the inventors assigning to Skyfire Labs, Inc., which then assigned to Opera Software Ireland Limited, which subsequently assigned to Performance And Privacy Ireland Ltd. This indicates an internal corporate reorganization or formalization of ownership within the Opera/Otello group.
5. Pre-litigation transfer — unclear. The current information indicates recent litigation activity (cases filed in Texas Western District Court and Delaware District Court in 2025 and 2026, respectively). The last assignment to TIR TECHNOLOGIES LIMITED occurred on May 4, 2025. The first reported litigation in Texas Western District Court is 1:25-cv-00865, and in Delaware District Court is 1:25-cv-00885 (both in 2025), and 1:26-cv-00056 (in 2026). The transfer to TIR TECHNOLOGIES LIMITED on May 4, 2025, occurs before the reported 2025 and 2026 litigation. This makes it a pre-litigation transfer, as it occurred within months before the lawsuits were filed, suggesting the transfer was in preparation for assertion.
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — not present. There is no indication from the assignment chain or patent text that any assignee transferred the patent due to bankruptcy proceedings.
7. Privateering — unclear. While Otello Corporation ASA, an operating company, transferred the patent to TIR TECHNOLOGIES LIMITED, it is unclear from the available information whether TIR TECHNOLOGIES LIMITED is asserting on behalf of Otello or independently. Further investigation into TIR Technologies Limited's business model would be required.
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — not present. The chain does not terminate at a known defensive aggregator like RPX, AST, or LOT Network.

Verdict

NPE — moderate confidence. The presence of a pre-litigation transfer to TIR TECHNOLOGIES LIMITED on May 4, 2025, shortly before litigation was filed in 2025 and 2026, is a strong signal for patent assertion activity. Additionally, the cascading transfers on May 31, 2018, while appearing to be internal corporate restructuring, represent a complex ownership chain. The lack of detailed correspondent information from the provided source prevents a full assessment of "shell-entity" or "repeat correspondent" patterns, which could increase confidence.

USPTO Patent Assignment Search for US10484442