Assignment history

Inventors

• Chu-Yin Tseng (United Microelectronics Corp.)
• Shih-Chieh Hsu (United Microelectronics Corp.)
• Chih-Chiang Wu (United Microelectronics Corp.)
• Shyh-Fann Ting (United Microelectronics Corp.)
• Po-Lun Cheng (United Microelectronics Corp.)
• Hsuan-Hsu Chen (United Microelectronics Corp.)

All inventors were likely employees of United Microelectronics Corp. at the time of filing, as is common practice for patent assignment to the employer.

Original assignee

The original assignee on the issued patent is United Microelectronics Corp (UMC). UMC is a leading global semiconductor foundry company based in Taiwan. They provide IC fabrication services focusing on logic and various specialty technologies for major sectors of the electronics industry, including mobile and wireless communications, smart IoT, computing and data processing, and automotive. UMC is an operating company and is currently active and listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange and the New York Stock Exchange.

Assignment timeline

• 2007-06-28 (executed) / recorded 2007-08-09 — Reel 019675/0422
  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: CHEN, HSUAN-HSU; CHENG, PO-LUN; HSU, SHIH-CHIEH; TING, SHYH-FANN; TSENG, CHU-YIN; WU, CHIH-CHIANG (all inventors)
  • Assignee: UNITED MICROELECTRONICS CORP., TAIWAN
  • Correspondent: Not listed on recorded document.
  • Context: Original assignment from inventors to employer.
• 2021-06-18 (executed) / recorded 2021-07-26 — Reel 056991/0292
  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: UNITED MICROELECTRONICS CORPORATION
  • Assignee: MARLIN SEMICONDUCTOR LIMITED, IRELAND
  • Correspondent: MATTHEW R. MUDD of FOLEY & LARDNER LLP, WASHINGTON, DC.
  • Context: Transfer of patent portfolio from operating company to a licensing entity.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 7745847
    2007 : Assigned to United Microelectronics Corp
    2010 : Issued
    2021 : Assigned to Marlin Semiconductor Ltd
    2025 : IPR filed by TSMC/Apple
         : ITC investigation initiated
         : Lawsuits filed by Marlin Semiconductor

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — present. In 2021, the patent was assigned from United Microelectronics Corporation (an operating company) to Marlin Semiconductor Limited, which is described as being "primarily engaged in holding or owning securities of companies other than banks, for the sole purpose of exercising some degree of control over the activities of the companies whose securities they hold" and an entity of IPValue Management, a patent monetization firm. Marlin Semiconductor Limited was formerly named "Sandyford Semiconductor Limited" and has an overlap in personnel with Longitude Licensing, another IPValue subsidiary. This aligns with the pattern of transferring patents to a licensing-only LLC.

2. Known asserter in the chain — present. Marlin Semiconductor Limited is an affiliate of IPValue Management. IPValue Management is a patent monetization firm. RPX, a defensive patent aggregator that tracks NPE activity, identifies Marlin Semiconductor Limited as one of the portfolios of IPValue Management, a monetization firm. Unified Patents also tracks NPEs and their litigation activities.

3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — not present. The initial assignment from inventors to UMC does not list a correspondent. The subsequent assignment to Marlin Semiconductor Limited lists MATTHEW R. MUDD of FOLEY & LARDNER LLP. There isn't enough information from the provided text to determine if this correspondent recurs across this chain or on other tracked patents.

4. Cascading transfers — not present. There are only two assignments recorded for this patent, and they are not consecutive transfers through chained LLCs in a short period.

5. Pre-litigation transfer — present. The patent was assigned to Marlin Semiconductor Limited on June 18, 2021 (executed) / July 26, 2021 (recorded). Litigation by Marlin Semiconductor Limited (an IPValue subsidiary) against Apple, Broadcom, Qualcomm, Lenovo, OnePlus, and TSMC using this patent, among others, began in the Western District of Texas and Eastern District of Texas in February 2025. An ITC investigation was also initiated in March 2025 based on a complaint filed by Longitude Licensing Ltd. and Marlin Semiconductor Limited. This transfer occurred approximately 3.5 years prior to litigation, which is outside the typical 6-month window for a "pre-litigation transfer" signal, but it is a transfer to a known monetization firm which then proceeds with litigation.

6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — not present. United Microelectronics Corp. is an active and operating company.

7. Privateering — unclear. While Marlin Semiconductor Limited is an affiliate of IPValue, a patent monetization firm, and the patent was transferred from an operating company (UMC), there is no explicit information detailing an arrangement where UMC is using Marlin Semiconductor to assert on its behalf against competitors.

8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — not present. The chain ends with Marlin Semiconductor Limited, an entity associated with patent monetization, not a defensive aggregator like RPX, AST, LOT Network, Unified Patents, or Open Invention Network. Notably, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) and Apple Inc. have filed an Inter Partes Review (IPR) against Marlin Semiconductor Ltd. regarding this patent.

Verdict

NPE — high confidence. This verdict is based on multiple strong signals. The patent was transferred from an operating company, United Microelectronics Corp., to Marlin Semiconductor Limited in 2021 (Reel 056991/0292). Marlin Semiconductor Limited is identified as a shell entity and an affiliate of IPValue Management, a known patent monetization firm. Furthermore, Marlin Semiconductor Limited has initiated litigation involving this patent against multiple companies in 2025. These facts strongly indicate an NPE pattern.

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