Assignment history

Inventors

• Andrew K. Lang: Co-inventor. At the time of filing, Lang was likely an employee of Lycos, Inc., the original assignee.
• Donald M. Kosak: Co-inventor. At the time of filing, Kosak was likely an employee of Lycos, Inc., the original assignee.

There are no unusual patterns noted regarding the inventors' employment status relative to the filing date. The initial assignment from the inventors to the original assignee was recorded on 1999-09-27 (Reel 010363/0748).

Original assignee

• Lycos, Inc.: The original assignee as named on the issued patent. Lycos was a prominent developer of a web search engine and a network of web portals that became one of the most visited online destinations in the 1990s and early 2000s. The company's search engine product directly embodied the claims of the patent. After a series of acquisitions and divestitures, the Lycos brand still operates but at a much smaller scale than during its peak. The transfer of this patent in 2011 occurred long after the company's market prominence had faded.

Assignment timeline

• 1999-08-27 / recorded 1999-09-27 — Reel 010363/0748

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: Andrew K. Lang, Donald M. Kosak
  • Assignee: LYCOS, INC.
  • Correspondent: R. Gibson Danner, Danner & Associates, Hoffman Estates, IL
  • Context: Standard initial assignment of invention from inventors to their employer.

• 2011-06-23 / recorded 2011-07-06 — Reel 026732/0890

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: LYCOS, INC.
  • Assignee: SMART SEARCH LABS, INC.
  • Correspondent: John M. Ang-Nutta, King & Spalding LLP, New York, NY
  • Context: A transfer from the original operating company to a new entity, later revealed to be an assertion vehicle.

• 2011-07-14 / recorded 2011-07-19 — Reel 026859/0815

  • Conveyance: Security Agreement
  • Assignor: SMART SEARCH LABS, INC.
  • Assignee: HUDSON BAY MASTER FUND LTD.
  • Correspondent: John M. Ang-Nutta, King & Spalding LLP, New York, NY. This correspondent handled multiple related transactions.
  • Context: Securitization of the patent asset, likely to finance acquisition and litigation activities.

• n/a / recorded 2011-09-15 — Reel 027375/0236

  • Conveyance: Change of Name
  • Assignor: SMART SEARCH LABS, INC.
  • Assignee: I/P ENGINE, INC.
  • Correspondent: John M. Ang-Nutta, King & Spalding LLP, New York, NY. This correspondent handled multiple related transactions.
  • Context: Formal change of name for the new patent-holding entity just before litigation was initiated.

• 2012-08-01 / recorded 2012-08-06 — Reel 028975/0507

  • Conveyance: Security Agreement
  • Assignor: I/P ENGINE INC. (F/K/A SMART SEARCH LABS, INC.)
  • Assignee: HUDSON BAY MASTER FUND LTD.
  • Correspondent: John M. Ang-Nutta, King & Spalding LLP, New York, NY. This correspondent handled multiple related transactions.
  • Context: A further securitization of the patent asset under the new entity name.

• 2012-08-27 / recorded 2012-08-29 — Reel 029124/0001

  • Conveyance: Release
  • Assignor: HUDSON BAY MASTER FUND LTD.
  • Assignee: I/P ENGINE, INC. (F/K/A SMART SEARCH LABS, INC.)
  • Correspondent: John M. Ang-Nutta, King & Spalding LLP, New York, NY. This correspondent handled multiple related transactions.
  • Context: Release of the prior security interest, clearing title for the patent holder.

• 2016-03-31 / recorded 2016-04-07 — Reel 038038/0879

  • Conveyance: Release
  • Assignor: SILICON VALLEY BANK
  • Assignee: VRINGO, INC.
  • Correspondent: Vringo, Inc., New York, NY
  • Context: Release of a security interest held by SVB against Vringo, the parent company of I/P Engine, Inc. This does not represent a change in ownership of the patent itself from I/P Engine.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 6314420
    1998 : Filed by inventors
    1999 : Assigned to Lycos Inc
    2001 : Patent issued
    2011 : Assigned to Smart Search Labs
         : Name changed to IP Engine Inc
         : First infringement suit filed
    2012 : District Court finds infringement
    2014 : Federal Circuit reverses invalidates claims

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer: Present. The patent was transferred from Lycos, Inc., an operating company, to Smart Search Labs, Inc. on 2011-06-23 (Reel 026732/0890). This entity had no apparent products and its name was quickly changed to I/P Engine, Inc. before it commenced litigation.

2. Known asserter in the chain: Present. I/P Engine, Inc. was a subsidiary of Vringo, Inc., a publicly traded company widely recognized and tracked by services like Unified Patents and RPX as a patent assertion entity (NPE). The litigation I/P Engine, Inc. v. AOL, Inc., et al. confirms this.

3. Repeat correspondent across the chain: Present. John M. Ang-Nutta of King & Spalding LLP acted as the correspondent for the critical series of five transactions from July 2011 to August 2012 (Reels 026732/0890, 026859/0815, 027375/0236, 028975/0507, 029124/0001) that moved the patent from its original owner to the assertion entity and managed related security agreements. This recurrence signals a coordinated transfer campaign.

4. Cascading transfers: Present. The transfer from Lycos to Smart Search Labs (June 2011), the immediate name change to I/P Engine (September 2011), and the filing of a major lawsuit (September 2011) all occurred within a three-month period.

5. Pre-litigation transfer: Present. The assignment from Lycos to Smart Search Labs was executed on June 23, 2011. The first infringement suit was filed on September 15, 2011, less than three months later. This timing is a classic indicator of a transfer made specifically to enable an assertion campaign.

6. Bankruptcy fire-sale: Not present. There is no evidence that this transfer resulted from a Lycos bankruptcy proceeding. It appears to be a direct sale of the asset.

7. Privateering: Unclear. While the transfer from an operating company (Lycos) to an NPE (I/P Engine) fits the general pattern, there is no public evidence of a formal agreement for Lycos to share in the assertion revenue.

8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE): Not present. The chain of title shows no involvement of any defensive aggregators.

Verdict

• NPE — high confidence

This verdict is based on multiple strong and unambiguous signals. The patent was transferred from its original operating company owner, Lycos, to a newly formed entity (Smart Search Labs / I/P Engine) on 2011-06-23 (Reel 026732/0890). This entity was a subsidiary of Vringo, a known patent assertion entity. The transfer occurred less than three months before I/P Engine initiated a major infringement lawsuit, a classic sign of a pre-litigation transfer for the purpose of assertion. The presence of a repeat correspondent for the series of transfers further solidifies the coordinated nature of this NPE campaign.

Verification Link: USPTO Assignment Search for Pat. 6,314,420