Assignment history

Inventors

• Guenter Schmid
• Ralf Krause
• Stefan Seidel
• Oliver Weiss
• Christoph Gaerditz
• Riikka Suhonen
• Ulrich Niedermeier
• Fryderyk Kozlowski

Employer at the time of filing: Osram Opto Semiconductors GmbH. No unusual patterns are immediately apparent from the provided data.

Original assignee

Osram Opto Semiconductors GmbH.
Based on the patent's subject matter (electronic devices, specifically OLEDs), Osram Opto Semiconductors GmbH is an operating company that manufactures and ships products embodying the claims. Their primary line of business is opto-semiconductors, including LEDs and OLEDs. Osram Opto Semiconductors GmbH is currently an operating company.

Assignment timeline

• 2011-02-18 (executed) / recorded 2011-02-18 — Reel 025832/0196

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: KOZLOWSKI, FRYDERYK; WEISS, OLIVER; NIEDERMEIER, ULRICH; SEIDEL, STEFAN; GAERDITZ, CHRISTOPH; KRAUSE, RALF; SCHMID, GUENTER; SUHONEN, RUEKKA (inventors)
  • Assignee: OSRAM OPTO SEMICONDUCTORS GMBH
  • Correspondent: MCDERMOTT WILL & EMERY LLP, 600 13TH STREET NW, WASHINGTON, DC, 20005
  • Context: Transfer of inventor interests to the original assignee.

• 2015-12-16 (executed) / recorded 2016-01-21 — Reel 037567/0993

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: OSRAM OPTO SEMICONDUCTORS GMBH
  • Assignee: OSRAM OLED GMBH
  • Correspondent: MCDERMOTT WILL & EMERY LLP, 600 13TH STREET NW, WASHINGTON, DC, 20005. This correspondent recurs in this chain.
  • Context: Internal reorganization within the Osram group.

• 2023-10-17 (executed) / recorded 2024-02-06 — Reel 066394/0251

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: OSRAM OLED GMBH
  • Assignee: PICTIVA DISPLAYS INTERNATIONAL LTD.
  • Correspondent: MCDERMOTT WILL & EMERY LLP, 600 13TH STREET NW, WASHINGTON, DC, 20005. This correspondent recurs in this chain.
  • Context: Transfer-to-asserter.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 8723164
    2008 : Priority date
    2009 : Application filed by Osram Opto
    2011 : Inventor assignment to Osram Opto
    2014 : Patent granted
    2016 : Assigned to Osram OLED GmbH
    2024 : Assigned to Pictiva Displays Intl Ltd

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — present. The assignment from Osram OLED GmbH to Pictiva Displays International Ltd. (executed 2023-10-17, recorded 2024-02-06, Reel 066394/0251) suggests a shell-entity transfer. Pictiva Displays International Ltd. does not appear to be an operating company producing products, and its name structure "Displays International Ltd." is consistent with a licensing entity. Unified Patents has also flagged Pictiva Displays International Ltd. in litigation.

2. Known asserter in the chain — present. Pictiva Displays International Ltd. is identified as a petitioner in an IPR case (IPR2024-01093) by Unified Patents, indicating it is an asserting entity. They are also listed in district court litigation in the Eastern District of Texas.

3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — present. McDermott Will & Emery LLP is listed as the correspondent for all three recorded assignments (Reel 025832/0196, Reel 037567/0993, and Reel 066394/0251). This consistent use of the same legal firm across transfers, including the transfer to an NPE, is a strong signal.

4. Cascading transfers — not present. There are three assignments spread out over several years, not multiple consecutive transfers within a short period.

5. Pre-litigation transfer — present. The assignment to Pictiva Displays International Ltd. was executed on 2023-10-17 and recorded on 2024-02-06 (Reel 066394/0251). Unified Patents reports litigation filed by Pictiva in the Eastern District of Texas in July 2023 (2:23-cv-00495) and October 2023 (2:24-cv-00532), and another IPR in June 2024. The October 2023 filing is subsequent to the execution date of the assignment, and the earlier July 2023 filing precedes the execution of the assignment, suggesting Pictiva was already active in assertion around the time of the transfer.

6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — not present. The original assignee, Osram Opto Semiconductors GmbH, and its subsequent entity, Osram OLED GmbH, are not reported to be in bankruptcy.

7. Privateering — unclear. While the patent moved from an operating company to an asserting entity, the available data does not explicitly state whether Osram Opto Semiconductors GmbH or Osram OLED GmbH are directly benefiting from Pictiva's assertions against competitors. More in-depth financial or legal filings would be needed to confirm privateering.

8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — not present. The chain ends at Pictiva Displays International Ltd., which is an asserting entity, not a defensive aggregator.

Verdict

NPE — high confidence. This verdict is driven by multiple strong signals. The transfer to Pictiva Displays International Ltd. (executed 2023-10-17, recorded 2024-02-06, Reel 066394/0251) is a shell-entity transfer to a known asserting entity. Furthermore, the same correspondent, McDermott Will & Emery LLP, is present across all recorded assignments, including the transfer to Pictiva. The initiation of litigation by Pictiva in July 2023 and October 2023, around the time of the assignment, also indicates a pre-litigation transfer pattern.

For verification, see the USPTO Assignment Center search page: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/ (search for patent number 8723164).