Assignment history

Inventors

The named inventors are Ulrich Kastner-Jung, Markus Klein, Stan Maes, Romana Sigl, Annette Haid, Stephan Lintner, Julian Herget, and Gregor Matjan. All inventors assigned their interest in the patent application to OSRAM OPTO SEMICONDUCTORS GMBH on January 18, 2023, indicating this was their employer or the entity to which their work was assigned at the time of the patent application's filing.

Original assignee

The patent lists Pictiva Displays International Ltd as the original assignee. However, assignment records indicate that the patent rights originated with the inventors, who assigned them to OSRAM OPTO SEMICONDUCTORS GMBH on the application filing date. Through a series of rapid, successive assignments on the same day, the rights transferred from OSRAM OPTO SEMICONDUCTORS GMBH to OSRAM OLED GMBH, then to DOLYA HOLDCO 5 LIMITED, and finally, DOLYA HOLDCO 5 LIMITED underwent a change of name to PICTIVA DISPLAYS INTERNATIONAL LIMITED. Thus, Pictiva Displays International Ltd became the assignee of record for the application shortly after its filing.

OSRAM (including OSRAM Opto Semiconductors GmbH) was a global technology innovator that developed and manufactured optoelectronic semiconductors, including LEDs and OLEDs, and shipped OLED panels under the "Pictiva" brand. OSRAM later shifted its focus from OLED displays to lighting and eventually exited the OLED lighting market in 2018. OSRAM Opto Semiconductors was integrated into AMS-Osram International GmbH in 2021 and is now part of the AMS Osram Group, which is an operating company.

Pictiva Displays International Ltd, on the other hand, was established in 2020 as a subsidiary of Key Patent Innovations, an Irish-based company that invests in patent-based opportunities. Pictiva's primary line of business is described as "Provider of IP licensing for OLED display systems" and is focused on licensing its portfolio through litigation. The company does not appear to ship products embodying the claims.

Assignment timeline

The following assignments are recorded for application number US18/098,326, which matured into US Patent 11828425:

• 2023-01-18 (executed) / recorded 2023-01-19 — Reel 006456/0001

  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST
  • Assignor: KASTNER-JUNG, ULRICH; KLEIN, MARKUS; MAES, STAN; SIGL, ROMANA; HAID, ANNETTE; LINTNER, STEPHAN; HERGET, JULIAN; MATJAN, GREGOR
  • Assignee: OSRAM OPTO SEMICONDUCTORS GMBH
  • Correspondent: STEPHEN C. KEARNS, HARNESS, DICKEY & PIERCE, P.L.C. 11710 PLAZA AMERICA DRIVE, SUITE 2000 RESTON VA 20190
  • Context: Transfer of rights from inventors to corporate entity.

• 2023-01-18 (executed) / recorded 2023-01-19 — Reel 006456/0002

  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST
  • Assignor: OSRAM OPTO SEMICONDUCTORS GMBH
  • Assignee: OSRAM OLED GMBH
  • Correspondent: STEPHEN C. KEARNS, HARNESS, DICKEY & PIERCE, P.L.C. 11710 PLAZA AMERICA DRIVE, SUITE 2000 RESTON VA 20190 (This correspondent recurs in this chain.)
  • Context: Internal corporate reorganization within the OSRAM group.

• 2023-01-18 (executed) / recorded 2023-01-19 — Reel 006456/0003

  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST
  • Assignor: OSRAM OLED GMBH
  • Assignee: DOLYA HOLDCO 5 LIMITED
  • Correspondent: STEPHEN C. KEARNS, HARNESS, DICKEY & PIERCE, P.L.C. 11710 PLAZA AMERICA DRIVE, SUITE 2000 RESTON VA 20190 (This correspondent recurs in this chain.)
  • Context: Corporate asset transfer.

• 2023-01-18 (executed) / recorded 2023-01-19 — Reel 006456/0004

  • Conveyance: CHANGE OF NAME
  • Assignor: DOLYA HOLDCO 5 LIMITED
  • Assignee: PICTIVA DISPLAYS INTERNATIONAL LIMITED
  • Correspondent: STEPHEN C. KEARNS, HARNESS, DICKEY & PIERCE, P.L.C. 11710 PLAZA AMERICA DRIVE, SUITE 2000 RESTON VA 20190 (This correspondent recurs in this chain.)
  • Context: Corporate name change to current patent owner.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 11828425
    2023 : Application filed
         : Assigned inventors to Osram Opto
         : Assigned Osram Opto to Osram OLED
         : Assigned Osram OLED to Dolya Holdco 5
         : Dolya Holdco 5 became Pictiva Displays
    2023 : Patent issued to Pictiva Displays
    2023 : First suit filed
    2025 : Jury finds claim 2 infringed
    2026 : PTAB remand for claim 2

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — Present. The patent transferred from operating company OSRAM through intermediate entities (OSRAM OLED GMBH, DOLYA HOLDCO 5 LIMITED) to Pictiva Displays International Ltd. Pictiva Displays International Ltd is described as a "patent assertion entity" whose business is "IP licensing for OLED display systems" and pursues licensing through litigation, rather than manufacturing or selling products. The inclusion of "Holdco" in "DOLYA HOLDCO 5 LIMITED" also indicates a holding company structure. This is evident from the series of assignments recorded on Reel 006456/0001 through 006456/0004, all executed on 2023-01-18 and recorded on 2023-01-19.
2. Known asserter in the chain — Present. Pictiva Displays International Ltd is explicitly identified as a "patent assertion entity" (PAE) by industry sources. The company's business model is focused on acquiring patents and pursuing licensing through litigation. This is evidenced by the final assignment in the chain, where DOLYA HOLDCO 5 LIMITED became PICTIVA DISPLAYS INTERNATIONAL LIMITED (Reel 006456/0004, recorded 2023-01-19).
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — Present. STEPHEN C. KEARNS of HARNESS, DICKEY & PIERCE, P.L.C. is listed as the correspondent of record for all four assignments/change of name recorded for this application on Reel 006456/0001, 006456/0002, 006456/0003, and 006456/0004, all recorded on 2023-01-19. This indicates a single attorney or firm handled the entire rapid transfer sequence.
4. Cascading transfers — Present. There are four consecutive assignments/change of name (Reel 006456/0001, 006456/0002, 006456/0003, 006456/0004) recorded on the same day, 2023-01-19, one day after the application's execution date. These transfers move from the inventors, through two OSRAM entities, to DOLYA HOLDCO 5 LIMITED, and finally to PICTIVA DISPLAYS INTERNATIONAL LIMITED. All transfers were handled by the same correspondent.
5. Pre-litigation transfer — Not present. The assignment to Pictiva Displays International Ltd was recorded on January 19, 2023 (Reel 006456/0004). The first infringement suit naming this patent (Case No. 2:23-cv-00495) was filed on October 19, 2023. This falls outside the 6-month window defined for this signal.
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — Not present. The transfers originated from OSRAM, a large operating company, which sold its OLED patent portfolio to Pictiva Displays International Ltd in 2020 (which this patent later joined), but not as part of bankruptcy proceedings.
7. Privateering — Not present. The transfer was a sale of the OLED patent portfolio from OSRAM to Pictiva, not an arrangement for Pictiva to assert patents on OSRAM's behalf against competitors. OSRAM had exited the OLED display market prior to this acquisition.
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — Not present. Pictiva Displays International Ltd is an asserting entity involved in litigation against Samsung, not a defensive aggregator.

Verdict

NPE — high confidence

The patent shows strong signals of being held by a Non-Practicing Entity (NPE). The current owner, Pictiva Displays International Ltd, is explicitly identified as a "patent assertion entity". The assignment chain, recorded on 2023-01-19 (Reel 006456/0001-0004), demonstrates cascading transfers through multiple entities, including a "Holdco," culminating in the final NPE owner. All these transfers were handled by the same correspondent, STEPHEN C. KEARNS, which is a common characteristic of NPE operations.

For verification, search application number 18/098,326 at the USPTO Assignment Center: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/