Assignment history

Inventors

• Yu-Hsiang Hung
• Ssu-I Fu
• Chung-Fu Chang
• Cheng-Guo Chen
• Chien-Ting Lin

Their employer at the time of filing was United Microelectronics Corp (Original Assignee). There is no information to suggest inventors departed the original assignee within 12 months of filing.

Original assignee

The original assignee named on the issued patent is United Microelectronics Corp.

United Microelectronics Corp (UMC) is a major global semiconductor foundry, manufacturing integrated circuits for various applications. They ship products embodying the claims as a foundry. UMC is currently operating.

Assignment timeline

The USPTO Assignment Center (https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/) shows the following assignment records for US9318609B2:

• 2015-02-12 (executed) / recorded 2015-02-12 — Reel 034954/0176

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: HUNG, YU-HSIANG; FU, SSU-I; CHANG, CHUNG-FU; CHEN, CHENG-GUO; LIN, CHIEN-TING
  • Assignee: UNITED MICROELECTRONICS CORP.
  • Correspondent: UNITED MICROELECTRONICS CORP.
  • Context: Transfer of inventor's interest to the original assignee.

• 2023-10-13 (executed) / recorded 2023-10-20 — Reel 065294/0055

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: UNITED MICROELECTRONICS CORPORATION
  • Assignee: MARLIN SEMICONDUCTOR LIMITED
  • Correspondent: BAE IP LAW
  • Context: Fire-sale or transfer-to-asserter from operating company to an unknown entity.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 9318609
    2013 : Priority Date
    2015 : Inventors to United Microelectronics Corp
    2016 : Issued to United Microelectronics Corp
    2023 : Assigned to Marlin Semiconductor Ltd
    2026 : IPR2026-00130 filed

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — Present. The assignment on 2023-10-13 to Marlin Semiconductor Limited (Reel 065294/0055) appears to be a transfer to a licensing-only LLC. Marlin Semiconductor Limited is identified as the Petitioner in IPR2026-00130 and the current assignee, but there is no public information readily available suggesting they are an operating company that ships products embodying the claims. The change from a large operating semiconductor foundry (UMC) to an entity with "Limited" in its name and no clear product line is a strong indicator.

2. Known asserter in the chain — Present. Unified Patents has filed an IPR against this patent (IPR2026-00130). Unified Patents targets "Non-Practicing Entities" (NPEs), implying that Marlin Semiconductor Ltd is considered an asserter by Unified Patents.

3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — Unclear. The correspondent for the 2023-10-13 assignment is "BAE IP LAW" (Reel 065294/0055). Without further information on "BAE IP LAW" or other patent assignments involving them, it is not possible to determine if they are a repeat player in NPE assertions. The first assignment from the inventors to UMC lists "UNITED MICROELECTRONICS CORP." as the correspondent, which is not an attorney firm.

4. Cascading transfers — Not present. There is only one transfer after the original assignment to UMC.

5. Pre-litigation transfer — Present. The assignment to Marlin Semiconductor Limited occurred on 2023-10-13 (executed) and 2023-10-20 (recorded) (Reel 065294/0055). An IPR (IPR2026-00130) was filed in 2026. While an IPR is not an infringement suit, it often follows or precedes broader litigation. The gap of roughly two years (October 2023 to 2026) between the assignment and the IPR filing is longer than the typical 6-month window for a "pre-litigation transfer," but given the nature of IPRs as a litigation defense tool, the transfer to an NPE prior to this defensive action is still a signal.

6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — Not present. There is no indication that United Microelectronics Corporation filed for bankruptcy.

7. Privateering — Unclear. While UMC transferred the patent, and Marlin Semiconductor Ltd is now involved in litigation, there is no public information to confirm if Marlin Semiconductor Ltd is asserting the patent on UMC's behalf against UMC's competitors.

8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — Not present. The chain ends with Marlin Semiconductor Limited, which is not a known defensive aggregator.

Verdict

NPE — high confidence. The transfer of the patent from a large operating semiconductor foundry, United Microelectronics Corp, to Marlin Semiconductor Limited (Reel 065294/0055) is a strong signal. The subsequent filing of an IPR (IPR2026-00130) against Marlin Semiconductor Limited by Unified Patents, an organization specifically targeting NPEs, further reinforces this assessment. The lack of a clear product line for Marlin Semiconductor Limited and the timing of the transfer prior to the IPR also contribute to this conclusion.

For verification, see the USPTO Assignment Center search page: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/ (search for patent number 9318609).