Assignment history — US Patent 9647918

Inventors

Gregory G. Raleigh (Headwater Research LLC)
Jeffrey Green (Headwater Research LLC)
James Lavine (Headwater Research LLC)
Vien-Phuong Nguyen (Headwater Research LLC)

(It is presumed the inventors were associated with Headwater Research LLC at the time of filing, as Headwater Research LLC is listed as the applicant and original assignee on the patent.)

Original assignee

Entity: Headwater Research LLC
Shipped a product embodying the claims: Unclear from the provided information. The patent text does not describe products shipped by Headwater Research LLC.
Primary line of business: Based on the patent's subject matter (mobile device and network usage attribution) and its history of litigation as a patent owner, its primary line of business appears to involve patent licensing and enforcement.
Current status: Operating (as indicated by active litigation and patent status).

Assignment timeline

2016-08-04 (executed) / recorded 2016-08-08 — Reel 039985/0501
- Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST
- Assignor: GREEN, JEFFREY; LAVINE, JAMES; NGUYEN, VIEN-PHUONG; RALEIGH, GREGORY G.
- Assignee: HEADWATER PARTNERS I LLC
- Correspondent: CHARLES M. HOFMAN, BAKER BOTTS L.L.P., 2001 ROSS AVENUE, SUITE 2500, DALLAS, TX 75201-2980
- Context: Transfer of inventor rights to a newly formed entity for patent management.
2017-01-05 (executed) / recorded 2017-01-09 — Reel 040182/0155
- Conveyance: MERGER AND CHANGE OF NAME
- Assignor: HEADWATER PARTNERS I LLC
- Assignee: HEADWATER RESEARCH LLC
- Correspondent: CHARLES M. HOFMAN, BAKER BOTTS L.L.P., 2001 ROSS AVENUE, SUITE 2500, DALLAS, TX 75201-2980. This correspondent recurs in this chain.
- Context: Corporate restructuring and name change from Headwater Partners I LLC to Headwater Research LLC.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 9647918
    2016 : Filed by Headwater Research LLC
         : Inventors assigned to Headwater Partners I LLC
    2017 : Headwater Partners I LLC merged to Headwater Research LLC
         : Patent Issued
    2023 : US lawsuit filed TX Eastern
    2024 : PTAB IPR2024-01397 filed
         : PTAB IPR2024-01396 filed
    2025 : US lawsuits filed TX Western
         : US lawsuits filed TX Eastern
    2026 : PTAB IPR2026-00137 filed

NPE / troll-pattern signals

Shell-entity transfer
- Present. The patent was assigned from the inventors to "HEADWATER PARTNERS I LLC" (Reel 039985/0501) and then subsequently merged into "HEADWATER RESEARCH LLC" (Reel 040182/0155). Both names, particularly "Partners I LLC" and "Research LLC," suggest entities primarily focused on holding and managing intellectual property, especially given the absence of known product lines for these entities.
Known asserter in the chain
- Present. Headwater Research LLC is actively involved as the patent owner/plaintiff in multiple PTAB proceedings (IPR2024-01397, IPR2024-01396, IPR2026-00137) and US District Court cases (e.g., Headwater Research LLC v. [[Samsung Electronics Co.](/litigations/by-defendant/Samsung%20Electronics%20Co.), Ltd.](/litigations/by-plaintiff/Samsung%20Electronics%20Co.%2C%20Ltd.) Case No. 2:23-cv-00641), which is a clear indicator of a patent asserting entity.
Repeat correspondent across the chain
- Present. CHARLES M. HOFMAN of BAKER BOTTS L.L.P. served as the correspondent for both recorded assignments in the chain: the assignment from inventors to Headwater Partners I LLC (Reel 039985/0501, recorded 2016-08-08) and the merger/change of name from Headwater Partners I LLC to Headwater Research LLC (Reel 040182/0155, recorded 2017-01-09).
Cascading transfers
- Unclear. There were two transfers within approximately five months (August 2016 to January 2017). While occurring in quick succession, these appear to be internal restructuring events (inventor assignment to holding company, followed by a merger/name change within that holding company structure) rather than sequential transfers to unrelated shell entities.
Pre-litigation transfer
- Not present. The last assignment was recorded on 2017-01-09. The earliest identified infringement lawsuit (2:23-cv-00641) was filed in 2023, significantly more than six months after the last transfer.
Bankruptcy fire-sale
- Not present. No information indicates any assignor in the chain underwent bankruptcy proceedings.
Privateering
- Unclear. There is no explicit evidence from the provided data to suggest an operating company transferred the patent to Headwater Research LLC for assertion on its behalf. Headwater Research LLC appears to have been the original applicant.
Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE)
- Not present. The current owner, Headwater Research LLC, is an asserting entity, not a defensive aggregator.

Verdict

NPE — high confidence

The high confidence verdict is supported by the consistent presence of a repeat correspondent, CHARLES M. HOFMAN of BAKER BOTTS L.L.P., across both transfers in the chain (Reel 039985/0501 on 2016-08-08 and Reel 040182/0155 on 2017-01-09). Most importantly, the current assignee, Headwater Research LLC, is a known and active patent asserter, evidenced by the multiple ongoing US District Court lawsuits and PTAB challenges against various defendants.

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