Assignment history

Inventors

• Marcelo Varanda (employer at time of filing: Research in Motion Ltd)

Original assignee

The original assignee was Research in Motion Ltd. They were a telecommunications and wireless equipment company, best known for their BlackBerry brand of smartphones. They shipped products embodying the claims of the patent, specifically handheld devices with various input mechanisms. Research in Motion Ltd underwent a name change to BlackBerry Limited in 2013 and is currently operating, though with a significantly different business focus than at the time of the patent's filing.

Assignment timeline

• 2005-10-03 (executed) / recorded 2005-10-03 — Reel 017611/0512
  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: VARANDA, MARCELO
  • Assignee: RESEARCH IN MOTION LIMITED
  • Correspondent: BLAKE, CASSELS & GRAYDON LLP, 45 O'CONNOR STREET, SUITE 2000, OTTAWA, ONTARIO, CANADA K1P 1A4. This firm acts as a correspondent on other tracked patents.
  • Context: Transfer of inventor's interest to the original corporate assignee.
• 2013-07-09 (executed) / recorded 2014-10-24 — Reel 034045/0741
  • Conveyance: Change of Name
  • Assignor: RESEARCH IN MOTION LIMITED
  • Assignee: BLACKBERRY LIMITED
  • Correspondent: BLAKE, CASSELS & GRAYDON LLP, 45 O'CONNOR STREET, SUITE 2000, OTTAWA, ONTARIO, CANADA K1P 1A4. This firm acts as a correspondent on other tracked patents.
  • Context: Internal corporate reorganization/name change.
• 2023-03-20 (executed) / recorded 2023-04-27 — Reel 063471/0474
  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: BLACKBERRY LIMITED
  • Assignee: OT PATENT ESCROW, LLC
  • Correspondent: RICHARD C. GIBBONS, 222 W ADAMS ST, STE 2200, CHICAGO, IL 60606. This correspondent appears on other tracked patents.
  • Context: Transfer of assignor's interest, likely part of a portfolio divestment.
• 2023-05-11 (executed) / recorded 2023-06-16 — Reel 064015/0001
  • Conveyance: NUNC PRO TUNC ASSIGNMENT
  • Assignor: OT PATENT ESCROW, LLC
  • Assignee: MALIKIE INNOVATIONS LIMITED
  • Correspondent: RICHARD C. GIBBONS, 222 W ADAMS ST, STE 2200, CHICAGO, IL 60606. This correspondent appears on other tracked patents.
  • Context: Corrective assignment to a new entity.
• 2023-05-11 (executed) / recorded 2023-06-19 — Reel 064066/0001
  • Conveyance: NUNC PRO TUNC ASSIGNMENT
  • Assignor: BLACKBERRY LIMITED
  • Assignee: MALIKIE INNOVATIONS LIMITED
  • Correspondent: RICHARD C. GIBBONS, 222 W ADAMS ST, STE 2200, CHICAGO, IL 60606. This correspondent appears on other tracked patents.
  • Context: Corrective assignment.
• 2023-03-20 (executed) / recorded 2023-09-05 — Reel 064806/0669
  • Conveyance: CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT
  • Assignor: BLACKBERRY LIMITED
  • Assignee: OT PATENT ESCROW, LLC
  • Correspondent: RICHARD C. GIBBONS, 222 W ADAMS ST, STE 2200, CHICAGO, IL 60606. This correspondent appears on other tracked patents.
  • Context: Corrective assignment to fix previous recording errors.
• 2023-05-11 (executed) / recorded 2023-09-05 — Reel 064807/0001
  • Conveyance: CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT
  • Assignor: OT PATENT ESCROW, LLC
  • Assignee: MALIKIE INNOVATIONS LIMITED
  • Correspondent: RICHARD C. GIBBONS, 222 W ADAMS ST, STE 2200, CHICAGO, IL 60606. This correspondent appears on other tracked patents.
  • Context: Corrective assignment to fix previous recording errors.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 8115731
    2005 : Filed by Research in Motion Ltd
         : Inventor assigned to Research in Motion Ltd
    2012 : Issued
    2013 : Research in Motion name changed to BlackBerry
    2023 : Assigned to OT Patent Escrow LLC
         : Assigned to Malikie Innovations Ltd
         : Corrective assignments recorded

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — present. The patent was transferred from BlackBerry Limited, an operating company, to OT Patent Escrow, LLC (Reel 063471/0474) and then to Malikie Innovations Limited (Reel 064015/0001). The names "OT Patent Escrow, LLC" and "Malikie Innovations Limited" suggest licensing or holding entities, consistent with shell companies, especially given the rapid subsequent transfers and corrective filings.
2. Known asserter in the chain — unclear. While Malikie Innovations Ltd is the current assignee, and the patent is in litigation, there is no definitive information within the provided patent text or standard search results to confirm if Malikie Innovations Ltd appears on public NPE lists such as those maintained by RPX Insurance or Unified Patents.
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — present. Richard C. Gibbons, with the firm address 222 W ADAMS ST, STE 2200, CHICAGO, IL 60606, is listed as the correspondent for multiple assignments in 2023 (Reel 063471/0474, Reel 064015/0001, Reel 064066/0001, Reel 064806/0669, Reel 064807/0001). This recurrence suggests a single attorney handling the transfers for these entities.
4. Cascading transfers — present. There were multiple consecutive assignments and corrective assignments in 2023, specifically from BlackBerry Limited to OT Patent Escrow, LLC, and then to Malikie Innovations Limited, all within a few months (March to September 2023). This rapid sequence, especially with corrective filings, indicates a structured transfer of ownership (Reel 063471/0474, Reel 064015/0001, Reel 064066/0001, Reel 064806/0669, Reel 064807/0001).
5. Pre-litigation transfer — unclear. The transfers to OT Patent Escrow, LLC and Malikie Innovations Limited occurred in 2023. The patent metadata indicates a PTAB case IPR2026-00004 filed and a US case filed in the Washington Western District Court, both in 2026. There is a gap of more than 6 months between the assignments in 2023 and the known litigation initiation in 2026, so this specific signal is not present based on the provided information.
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — not present. BlackBerry Limited (formerly Research in Motion Ltd) is still operating and did not undergo a bankruptcy fire-sale of this patent.
7. Privateering — unclear. There is no information in the provided patent text or legal event data to suggest that BlackBerry Limited is using Malikie Innovations Limited to assert patents on its behalf.
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — not present. The current assignee, Malikie Innovations Limited, is not identified as a defensive aggregator.

Verdict

NPE — high confidence. This verdict is supported by the presence of multiple strong signals: the transfer from an operating company (BlackBerry Limited) to shell-like entities (OT Patent Escrow, LLC and Malikie Innovations Limited) (Reel 063471/0474, Reel 064015/0001), the rapid cascading transfers and corrective assignments in 2023, and the consistent involvement of a single correspondent, Richard C. Gibbons, across these transfers, indicating a coordinated effort. The ongoing litigation, with a PTAB case and District Court case in 2026, further aligns with an NPE assertion model.

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