Assignment history

Inventors

The sole inventor listed on US patent 8,267,537 is Jun Seok Park. At the time of filing, the inventor assigned the patent to LG Innotek Co., Ltd., which was presumably their employer. There are no unusual patterns, such as mass inventor departures, noted in the public record.

Original assignee

The original assignee of record was LG Innotek Co., Ltd., a South Korea-based global manufacturer of electronic components and modules. The company's primary business includes manufacturing LED products, mobile camera modules, and automotive electronic components. As a major supplier of LED components for displays, LG Innotek was an operating company that almost certainly manufactured and shipped products embodying the claims of this patent. The company remains a major operating entity today as part of the LG Group.

Assignment timeline

The USPTO Patent Assignment Search database lists three recorded assignments for this patent since its initial filing.

• 2009-02-19 (executed) / recorded 2009-07-01 — Reel 022905/0250

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: PARK, JUN SEOK
  • Assignee: LG INNOTEK CO., LTD.
  • Correspondent: S. H. Kim, c/o KED & PARTNERS, 4th Fl., So-Young Bldg., 1563-10, Seocho-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul, KOREA, REPUBLIC OF
  • Context: Standard initial assignment of invention from the employee inventor to their employer.

• 2021-05-20 (executed) / recorded 2021-05-25 — Reel 056366/0335

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: LG INNOTEK CO., LTD.
  • Assignee: SUZHOU LEKIN SEMICONDUCTOR CO., LTD.
  • Correspondent: Yue (Robert) Xu, APEX-IP LAW, PLLC, 11230 GOLD EXPRESS DR, STE 310-424, GOLD RIVER, CA 95670
  • Context: Transfer from the original operating company to a China-based semiconductor company.

• 2024-06-25 (executed) / recorded 2024-07-10 — Reel 067949/0047

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: SUZHOU LEKIN SEMICONDUCTOR CO., LTD.
  • Assignee: LIGHT GUIDE INNOVATIONS LLC
  • Correspondent: Andrew S. Ehmke, Haynes and Boone, LLP, 2323 Victory Avenue, Suite 700, Dallas, TX 75219
  • Context: Transfer from the prior owner to a Texas-based LLC, shortly before the LLC began asserting the patent in litigation.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 8267537
    2007 : Application filed
    2009 : Assigned to LG Innotek by inventor
    2012 : Patent Issued
    2021 : Assigned to Suzhou Lekin Semiconductor
    2024 : Assigned to Light Guide Innovations LLC
         : First infringement suits filed

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — Present. The final assignment recorded on 2024-07-10 (Reel 067949/0047) moved the patent from an operating company to Light Guide Innovations LLC, a Texas limited liability company. This entity has no known products and, per the litigation summary, its primary activity is patent assertion, fitting the profile of a licensing-only entity.

2. Known asserter in the chain — Present. The current assignee, Light Guide Innovations LLC, is a known patent asserter. As noted in the litigation summary and confirmed by public databases like Unified Patents, it has filed multiple infringement lawsuits in the Eastern District of Texas asserting this patent family since late 2024.

3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — Not present. The three recorded assignments each use a different correspondent attorney and law firm. There is no recurring correspondent within this specific chain.

4. Cascading transfers — Not present. While there are two transfers after the initial assignment, they are separated by approximately three years (May 2021 to June 2024). This does not fit the pattern of a rapid, multi-step cascade designed to obscure ownership.

5. Pre-litigation transfer — Present. The assignment to the asserting entity, Light Guide Innovations LLC, was executed on 2024-06-25 and recorded on 2024-07-10 (Reel 067949/0047). The first known litigation asserting the patent was filed in Q4 2024 (Light Guide Innovations, LLC v. TCT Mobile), well within 6 months of the transfer, indicating the assignment was made to prepare for the assertion campaign.

6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — Not present. The original assignee, LG Innotek, is a solvent and major operating company. The transfer was not part of a bankruptcy proceeding.

7. Privateering — Unclear. While the patent originated with a major operating company (LG Innotek) and is now being asserted by an NPE against competitors in the electronics space, there is no public evidence (such as a license-back agreement or SEC disclosure) to confirm that LG Innotek retains a financial interest in the assertion campaign.

8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — Not present. The chain does not involve any known defensive aggregators. The current owner is an active plaintiff.

Verdict

• NPE — high confidence

This verdict is based on at least two strong, unambiguous signals. The patent was transferred from an operating company to Light Guide Innovations LLC, an entity with no products whose sole known business is patent litigation (Reel 067949/0047). Furthermore, this transfer occurred immediately prior to the commencement of an active litigation campaign, a classic pre-litigation transfer pattern.

For verification, see the assignment records for US patent 8,267,537 at the USPTO Patent Assignment Search.