Assignment history — US Patent 12004262

Inventors

Geonjung KO (SK Telecom Co Ltd, Wilus Institute of Standards and Technology Inc)
Woojin AHN (SK Telecom Co Ltd, Wilus Institute of Standards and Technology Inc)
Juhyung Son (SK Telecom Co Ltd, Wilus Institute of Standards and Technology Inc)
Jinsam Kwak (SK Telecom Co Ltd, Wilus Institute of Standards and Technology Inc)

At the time of filing (2022-02-11), all inventors were associated with both SK Telecom Co Ltd and Wilus Institute of Standards and Technology Inc. Google Patents lists "Wilus Institute of Standards and Technology Inc" as the current assignee and "SK Telecom Co Ltd" as the original assignee. The reassignment records indicate that individuals assigned their interest to Wilus Institute of Standards and Technology Inc.

Original assignee

SK Telecom Co Ltd.
SK Telecom Co Ltd is a South Korean telecommunications company that offers wireless communication services, fixed-line broadband, and IPTV. They ship various products and services embodying wireless communication technologies. SK Telecom Co Ltd is currently operating.

Assignment timeline

2022-12-18 (executed) / recorded 2022-12-18 — Reel 062152/0001
- Conveyance: License
- Assignor: SK TELECOM CO., LTD.
- Assignee: WILUS INSTITUTE OF STANDARDS AND TECHNOLOGY INC.
- Correspondent: SUJIT SAHA, SAHA & GANGULY, LLC, 560 W. MAIN STREET, SUITE 200, BOONTON, NEW JERSEY 07005.
- Context: Transfer of license interest between original co-assignees.
2024-04-23 (executed) / recorded 2024-04-23 — Reel 065792/0695
- Conveyance: Assignment of Assignors Interest
- Assignor: SON, JUHYUNG; KWAK, JINSAM; AHN, WOOJIN; KO, GEONJUNG
- Assignee: WILUS INSTITUTE OF STANDARDS AND TECHNOLOGY INC.
- Correspondent: SUJIT SAHA, SAHA & GANGULY, LLC, 560 W. MAIN STREET, SUITE 200, BOONTON, NEW JERSEY 07005. This correspondent recurs in this chain.
- Context: Inventors assigned their interest to a co-assignee.
2024-06-20 (executed) / recorded 2024-06-20 — Reel 066023/0401
- Conveyance: Assignment of Assignors Interest
- Assignor: SK TELECOM CO., LTD.
- Assignee: WILUS INSTITUTE OF STANDARDS AND TECHNOLOGY INC.
- Correspondent: SUJIT SAHA, SAHA & GANGULY, LLC, 560 W. MAIN STREET, SUITE 200, BOONTON, NEW JERSEY 07005. This correspondent recurs in this chain.
- Context: Original co-assignee assigned its remaining interest to the other co-assignee.
2025-02-26 (executed) / recorded 2025-02-26 — Reel 066539/0719
- Conveyance: Corrective Assignment
- Assignor: SK TELECOM CO., LTD.
- Assignee: WILUS INSTITUTE OF STANDARDS AND TECHNOLOGY INC.
- Correspondent: SUJIT SAHA, SAHA & GANGULY, LLC, 560 W. MAIN STREET, SUITE 200, BOONTON, NEW JERSEY 07005. This correspondent recurs in this chain.
- Context: Corrective assignment to amend agreement date of an exclusive license.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 12004262
    2022 : Filed by SK Telecom & Wilus Inst.
         : License to Wilus Inst.
    2024 : Inventors assign to Wilus Inst.
         : SK Telecom assigns to Wilus Inst.
    2025 : Corrective assignment
    2026 : Patent under litigation

NPE / troll-pattern signals

Shell-entity transfer — not present. The primary assignee, Wilus Institute of Standards and Technology Inc., appears to be a research and development entity rather than a pure licensing shell. SK Telecom is a major operating company.
Known asserter in the chain — not present. Neither SK Telecom Co Ltd nor Wilus Institute of Standards and Technology Inc. are on common public NPE lists.
Repeat correspondent across the chain — present. SUJIT SAHA of SAHA & GANGULY, LLC is listed as the correspondent for all recorded assignments: Reel 062152/0001 (2022-12-18), Reel 065792/0695 (2024-04-23), Reel 066023/0401 (2024-06-20), and Reel 066539/0719 (2025-02-26).
Cascading transfers — not present. The transfers involve a clear progression of ownership to Wilus Institute of Standards and Technology Inc., rather than rapid transfers between numerous LLCs.
Pre-litigation transfer — unclear. While the patent is currently subject to litigation, it is unclear from the assignment records if the transfers immediately preceded the initial filing of the infringement suits. The first worldwide family litigation was filed on an unspecified date in 2025, while the latest assignment was recorded on 2025-02-26. This proximity might suggest a pre-litigation transfer, but without the exact litigation filing date, it remains unclear.
Bankruptcy fire-sale — not present. There is no indication in the assignment records or public information that either assignor filed for bankruptcy.
Privateering — not present. No evidence suggests an operating company transferred the patent to an NPE for assertion against competitors.
Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — not present. The chain does not terminate at any known defensive aggregators.

Verdict

NPE — moderate confidence
The presence of repeated correspondents, specifically SUJIT SAHA of SAHA & GANGULY, LLC, across all recorded assignments (Reel 062152/0001, Reel 065792/0695, Reel 066023/0401, Reel 066539/0719) is a noteworthy signal. While neither assignee is a known high-frequency NPE, the pattern of a single attorney handling multiple transfers, especially considering the litigation noted by Google Patents, suggests the possibility of a strategic approach to patent enforcement.

USPTO Assignment Center search for US12004262: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/