Amazon Sued for Patent Infringement in Kindle Devices and Software


On Tuesday, M2M Solutions LLC sued Amazon.com in the District of Delaware for alleged infringement of a patent pertaining to the defendant’s consumer services platform called Whispernet. The allegedly infringing product provides technology-based services to users of consumer device assets including Kindle e-reader devices, Fire tablets running preloaded Kindle reading applications software, and other non-Amazon smart phones, tablets, and computers running Kindle software.

The patent in suit is U.S. Patent No. 10,791,442 (the ’442 Patent), entitled “System And Method For Remote Asset Management.”  This patent is part of M2M Solutions’ Remote Asset Management patent family, which comprises a series of seminal patents covering wireless machine-to-machine communications systems.  The wireless M2M systems have generally involved a process in which various types of electronic technical equipment wirelessly connected to communications networks have been monitored, and to varying degrees managed, by remote computer server platforms.

The patent-in-suit claimed innovative methods for operating improved wireless M2M systems which served as consumer services platforms for autonomously delivering valuable technology-based services to users of consumer device assets.  These innovative method claims are reportedly directed “to several features that constitute specific and concrete technological improvements for advancing the computer functionality and computer capabilities of the various computer-related components that had historically been present in prior art wireless M2M systems.”

M2M alleged that Amazon.com operates the Whispernet wireless M2M system, also referred to as Amazon.com’s “Kindle e-reader ecosystem” in an infringing manner.  The Kindle e-reader ecosystem comprises a remote computer server platform that Amazon.com operates to remotely monitor and manage the Kindle e-reader devices, which are wirelessly connected to a cellular-mobile telecommunications network or to the Internet.  Within the Kindle e-reader ecosystem, “Amazon.com’s remote computer server platform receives and monitors consumer usage information that identifies the manner in which consumers have used particular features of particular Kindle e-reader devices.” The stored information includes data like annotations, the current locations, popular highlights, or last page read.

M2M Solutions asked the court to award damages to it for Amazon’s alleged infringement of the patent and attorney’s fees. Additionally, it is seeking a preliminary injunction to enjoin Amazon from continuing to infringe upon the patent. 

M2M is represented by Cantor Colburn LLP and Bayard, P.A