Litigation summary

Litigation History for US Patent 7,818,176

As of May 1, 2026, US Patent 7,818,176, currently assigned to VB Assets, LLC, has been involved in extensive litigation, including multiple district court cases and proceedings before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB), several of which have led to appeals at the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC).

District Court Litigation

1. VB Assets, LLC v. Amazon.com, Inc., et al.

• Plaintiff: VB Assets, LLC
• Defendant(s): Amazon.com, Inc., Amazon.com Services LLC, and other related Amazon entities.
• Jurisdiction: U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware
• Case Number: 1:19-cv-01410-MN
• Filing Date: July 26, 2019
• Status/Outcome: In November 2023, a jury found that Amazon infringed on several patents, including claim 40 of the '176 patent. The jury awarded VB Assets over $40 million after post-trial motions and established ongoing royalty rates. The case was subsequently appealed to the CAFC (see case 2025-1854 below) and was dismissed on April 29, 2026, after the parties reached an agreement.

2. VB Assets, LLC v. General Motors LLC

• Plaintiff: VB Assets, LLC
• Defendant(s): General Motors LLC
• Jurisdiction: U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware
• Case Number: 1:24-cv-01279
• Filing Date: October 2, 2024
• Status/Outcome: This case is currently active.

3. VB Assets, LLC v. Apple Inc.

• Plaintiff: VB Assets, LLC
• Defendant(s): Apple Inc.
• Jurisdiction: U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware
• Case Number: 1:24-cv-01368
• Filing Date: October 28, 2024
• Status/Outcome: The complaint asserts six patents related to natural language processing against devices supporting the Siri virtual assistant. The case is currently active.

4. VB Assets, LLC v. Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. et al.

• Plaintiff: VB Assets, LLC
• Defendant(s): Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. and Samsung Electronics America, Inc.
• Jurisdiction: U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas
• Case Number: 2:24-cv-00828
• Filing Date: October 9, 2024
• Status/Outcome: This case, targeting Samsung's Bixby 2.0 products, is currently active.

5. VB Assets, LLC v. Toyota Motor North America, Inc. et al.

• Plaintiff: VB Assets, LLC
• Defendant(s): Toyota Motor North America, Inc. and Toyota Motor Corporation
• Jurisdiction: U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas
• Case Number: 2:24-cv-00828
• Filing Date: This appears to be an error in the provided litigation data from the patent source; this case number corresponds to the Samsung case. Further investigation would be needed to clarify the details of the litigation against Toyota.
• Status/Outcome: Unknown due to conflicting case number information.

6. VB Assets, LLC v. Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. et al.

• Plaintiff: VB Assets, LLC
• Defendant(s): Volkswagen Group of America, Inc., Volkswagen AG, Audi of America, LLC, and Audi AG
• Jurisdiction: U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware
• Case Number: 1:24-cv-01368
• Filing Date: This also appears to be an error in the litigation data from the patent source, as this case number corresponds to the Apple case. Clarification is required.
• Status/Outcome: Unknown due to conflicting case number information.

Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) Proceedings

1. IPR2020-01390

• Petitioner: Amazon.com, Inc.
• Status/Outcome: Petition for Inter Partes Review was filed. The PTAB declined to institute a trial on the merits.

2. IPR2025-00867

• Petitioner(s): Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., and Samsung Electronics America, Inc.
• Status/Outcome: Petition for Inter Partes Review was filed but was not instituted due to procedural reasons.

Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) Appeals

Multiple appeals involving this patent family have been filed at the CAFC, primarily stemming from the district court cases.

• Case Number: 25-1854

  • Details: Appeal from the Amazon case (1:19-cv-01410) in Delaware.
  • Status/Outcome: The case was dismissed on April 29, 2026, by agreement of the parties, likely indicating a settlement.

• Case Numbers: 25-1113, 25-1142, 25-1357

  • Details: These appeal numbers are listed in the patent's litigation history. Without specific party information, they are presumed to be related to the various district court proceedings involving VB Assets, LLC.
  • Status/Outcome: The current status of these appeals is pending further docket research.

This extensive litigation history highlights the commercial significance of US Patent 7,818,176 and the broader patent portfolio held by VB Assets, LLC in the competitive field of voice-assistant and natural language processing technology.