Assignment history

Inventors

• John E. DeTitta.

It is unclear what John E. DeTitta's employer was at the time of the original priority filing in 2004, or the application filing in 2019. Patents are initially owned by the inventor, and often assigned to an employer through an employment agreement.

Original assignee

The original assignee on US11416898B2 was "Individual". The patent was later assigned to Brodti, LLC. Brodti Inc. (formerly Brodti, LLC) describes itself as the owner of US11416898, asserting it covers "foundational architecture for predetermined-impression, content-integrated advertising that helped enable the modern creator economy." Their website indicates they engage in patent licensing and enforcement, and they are currently involved in litigation with Google LLC. Brodti Inc. does not appear to ship products embodying the claims; instead, they focus on monetizing intellectual property in the digital advertising and data analytics space. Brodti Inc. is currently operating.

Assignment timeline

• 2019-08-06 (executed) / recorded 2019-08-06 — Reel 049970/0939
  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST
  • Assignor: DETITTA, JOHN
  • Assignee: BRODTI, LLC, DELAWARE
  • Correspondent: NOT RECORDED
  • Context: Transfer from inventor to LLC.
• 2019-05-10 (executed) / recorded 2023-11-13 — Reel 065549/0741
  • Conveyance: CHANGE OF NAME
  • Assignor: BRODTI, LLC
  • Assignee: BRODTI INC., NEW YORK
  • Correspondent: JOHN E DETITTA
  • Context: Change of name from LLC to Inc.
• 2020-06-01 (executed) / recorded 2023-11-16 — Reel 065653/0949
  • Conveyance: CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO CORRECT THE EXECUTION DATE ON THE COVER SHEET PREVIOUSLY RECORDED ON REEL 065549 FRAME 0741. ASSIGNOR(S) HEREBY CONFIRMS THE CHANGE OF NAME.
  • Assignor: BRODTI, LLC
  • Assignee: BRODTI INC., NEW YORK
  • Correspondent: JOHN E DETITTA
  • Context: Corrective assignment for previous change of name.
• 2014-11-12 (executed) / recorded 2024-09-13 — Reel 068582/0725
  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST
  • Assignor: HOWUDOWIN INC.
  • Assignee: DETITTA, JOHN E., NEW YORK
  • Correspondent: JOHN E DETITTA
  • Context: Assignment to John E. DeTitta from an unknown entity. This correspondent (JOHN E DETITTA) also appears in the current chain on reels 065549/0741 and 065653/0949.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 11416898
    2004 : Priority date
    2019 : Filed as continuation
         : Assigned to Brodti LLC
    2022 : Issued
    2023 : Brodti LLC changed to Brodti Inc
    2024 : Assigned to John E DeTitta
         : First infringement suit filed vs Google

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — present. The initial transfer is from inventor John DeTitta to Brodti, LLC (Reel 049970/0939). Brodti, LLC then changed its name to Brodti Inc. (Reel 065549/0741 and 065653/0949). Brodti Inc. describes its business as owning and licensing the patent, and it is currently engaged in patent litigation, rather than shipping products. This suggests Brodti Inc. operates as a licensing-only entity.
2. Known asserter in the chain — present. Brodti Inc. has been identified by Patsnap Eureka as a "patent assertion entity focused on monetizing intellectual property in the digital advertising and data analytics space." Unified Patents also lists an IPR case against Google LLC filed by "Unified Patents PTAB Data" which is described as a petitioner.
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — present. John E. DeTitta appears as the correspondent of record on two "CHANGE OF NAME" conveyances (Reel 065549/0741, Reel 065653/0949) for Brodti, LLC changing to Brodti Inc., and on the "ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST" to John E. DeTitta himself (Reel 068582/0725). The initial assignment from John DeTitta to Brodti, LLC does not list a correspondent.
4. Cascading transfers — unclear. While there are multiple assignments, they primarily relate to name changes and a re-assignment to the inventor. There aren't multiple consecutive assignments through chained LLCs in a short timeframe that would definitively indicate cascading transfers.
5. Pre-litigation transfer — present. The patent was assigned to John E. DeTitta on an execution date of 2014-11-12, but recorded on 2024-09-13 (Reel 068582/0725). Brodti Inc. filed an infringement action against Google LLC in the Western District of Texas on January 29, 2024, which was quickly dismissed, and then refiled in Delaware on February 9, 2024. The recording of the assignment to DeTitta occurred after the initial litigation filings, but the execution date is significantly earlier. However, a transfer to an NPE from an operating company (or even an individual) within 6 months of litigation is often a strong signal. The earliest litigation was January 29, 2024. This assignment's recording date is 2024-09-13, placing it well within 6 months of the initial litigation.
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — not present. No evidence of bankruptcy proceedings for the original assignee or any subsequent assignors has been found.
7. Privateering — unclear. While Brodti Inc. asserts against Google, there is no public information definitively indicating an operating company transferred the patent to Brodti Inc. to assert on its behalf against competitors.
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — not present. The chain does not terminate at a known defensive aggregator.

Verdict

NPE — high confidence

The patent is currently owned by Brodti Inc., which is identified as a patent assertion entity focused on monetizing intellectual property in the digital advertising space. The company's website also emphasizes patent licensing and enforcement rather than product sales. Furthermore, there is a clear pre-litigation transfer signal, with an assignment being recorded to John E. DeTitta in September 2024, after initial litigation filings against Google in January and February 2024. The recurring correspondent, John E. DeTitta, also points to a consistent legal hand behind the entity. These factors strongly indicate an NPE pattern.

Verification: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/