Litigation summary

Here's a summary of known litigation involving US Patent 8488173:

1. Appellate Case: MPHJ Technology Investments, LLC v. Ricoh Americas Corporation, Xerox Corporation, Lexmark International, Inc.

• Plaintiff(s): MPHJ Technology Investments, LLC
• Defendant(s): Ricoh Americas Corporation, Xerox Corporation, Lexmark International, Inc.
• Jurisdiction: United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
• Case Number: 2016-1243
• Filing Date: The appeal was decided on February 13, 2017. (The original appeal filing date is not explicitly stated in the provided snippets, but it would have been prior to the decision date).
• Outcome/Current Status: The Federal Circuit affirmed the decision of the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) that claims 1–8 of US Patent 8,488,173 are invalid on the grounds of anticipation or obviousness. The PTAB had previously ruled that the claims were invalid under 35 U.S.C. §§ 102 and 103 on August 12, 2015.

2. PTAB Inter Partes Review (Underlying Case for Federal Circuit Appeal): Unified Patents Inc. v. MPHJ Technology Investments LLC

• Plaintiff(s): Unified Patents Inc. (petitioned on behalf of its members, including Ricoh Americas Corp., Xerox Corp., and Lexmark Corp.)
• Defendant(s): MPHJ Technology Investments, LLC
• Jurisdiction: Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB)
• Case Number: IPR2014-00538
• Filing Date: March 2014 (Petition filing date)
• Outcome/Current Status: The PTAB found claims 1-22 of U.S. Patent No. 8,488,173 unpatentable. This decision was issued on August 19, 2015, and subsequently affirmed by the Federal Circuit.

3. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Action against MPHJ Technology Investments, LLC

• Plaintiff(s): Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
• Defendant(s): MPHJ Technology Investments, LLC, and its law firm, Farney Daniels, P.C., and its owner, Jay Mac Rust.
• Jurisdiction: Federal Trade Commission (administrative complaint)
• Case Number: Not explicitly provided in snippets, but referenced as an "administrative complaint."
• Filing Date: November 2014 (administrative complaint filed).
• Outcome/Current Status: MPHJ Technology Investments, LLC, and its law firm agreed to a settlement barring them from using deceptive sales claims and phony legal threats in letters accusing small businesses of patent infringement. This was the first time the FTC took action using its consumer protection authority against a patent assertion entity. The settlement also included a potential fine of $16,000 per letter for violations.