Litigation summary

Litigation History of U.S. Patent No. 6,032,137

As of May 11, 2026, U.S. Patent No. 6,032,137, owned for many years by DataTreasury Corporation, has been the subject of extensive and significant litigation, primarily against the banking and financial services industry. DataTreasury, represented by firms including Nix Patterson, LLP and The Roach Law Firm, has reportedly recovered over $350 million through infringement lawsuits and licensing agreements related to its patents on electronic check processing. These legal actions asserted that the methods used by banks to comply with the Check 21 Act, such as remote deposit capture and image processing, infringed on the '137 patent and its family member, U.S. Patent No. 5,910,988.

The litigation campaign began in the early 2000s and involved dozens of financial institutions. The primary venue for these cases has been the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, a jurisdiction known for its experience with patent cases.

Below is a non-exhaustive list of known litigation involving this patent.

District Court Litigation

• Plaintiff: DataTreasury Corporation

• Defendants: Wells Fargo & Company, Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., and numerous other financial institutions (including Bank of America, Wachovia, U.S. Bancorp, Suntrust, and many more).

• Jurisdiction: U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas

• Case Number: 2:06-cv-00072

• Filing Date: February 24, 2006

• Status/Outcome: This consolidated case involved a large number of defendants. The litigation was complex, featuring motions to stay, severance, and an appeal to the Federal Circuit regarding an arbitration clause which was ultimately denied. Many defendants settled with DataTreasury over the years. For instance, JPMorgan Chase entered a consent judgment in 2005 acknowledging the patents' validity and enforceability and took a license.

• Plaintiff: DataTreasury Corporation

• Defendant: Bank of America Corporation, et al.

• Jurisdiction: U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas

• Case Number: 2:05-cv-00292

• Filing Date: July 26, 2005

• Status/Outcome: This case, along with others filed around the same time against institutions like Citigroup and Wachovia, was a precursor to the larger consolidated '072 case. A trial against Bank of America resulted in a settlement during the proceedings.

• Plaintiff: DataTreasury Corporation

• Defendants: Fidelity National Information Services Inc. (FIS), Fiserv Inc., and their respective client banks.

• Jurisdiction: U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas

• Case Number: Case numbers for these specific 2013 actions include 2:13-cv-00431, 2:13-cv-00432, and 2:13-cv-00433.

• Filing Date: May 28, 2013

• Status/Outcome: These lawsuits represented a later wave of enforcement, targeting not just banks but also the software and service providers that supplied the allegedly infringing technology. The outcome often involved licensing agreements.

Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) Proceedings

The validity of the '137 patent was also challenged at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. These challenges are a form of litigation intended to invalidate a patent's claims.

• Proceeding: Covered Business Method (CBM) Review

• Case Numbers: CBM2014-00020, CBM2014-00056, CBM2014-00088

• Filing Dates: 2013-2014

• Status/Outcome: Final Written Decisions were issued in these cases. CBM reviews were a specific type of proceeding for challenging patents related to financial products or services. These proceedings, along with inter partes re-examinations, were part of the effort by accused infringers to invalidate the patent claims.

• Proceeding: Inter Partes Review (IPR)

• Case Number: IPR2014-00490

• Filing Date: 2014

• Status/Outcome: This petition was not instituted, meaning a trial did not proceed on the merits, which was a favorable outcome for the patent owner in this specific instance.

The information for these cases is cited from the litigation history provided by Google Patents and Unified Patents, accessible via the authoritative patent text link. (Source: https://patents.google.com/patent/[US6032137](/patent/US6032137)/en)