On Tuesday in the District of Delaware, Arendi S.A.R.L. (Arendi) filed a complaint against LG Electronics, Inc. and LG Electronics USA, Inc. (LG) claiming that it infringed the plaintiff’s patent in the devices it manufactures and sells.
The complaint noted this suit is related to several other lawsuits against companies including Apple, Blackberry, HTC, Motorola, Sony, Google, as well as another suit against LG. The patent-in-suit is United States Patent No. 7,917,843 (the ’843 patent), entitled “Method, System and Computer Readable Medium for Addressing Handling from a computer Program.”
The patent reportedly allows a user to access and search in one computer program, while staying in a different computer program to display a document. Arendi claimed that this patent eases the process to create and update records in a database by “allowing such tasks to be performed directly from the document.” Arendi noted that the District of Delaware has found the ’843 patent to be directed to improving computer functions.
According to the complaint, the patent-in-suit’s specification “explains the need to retrieve information from a data source external to a document, such as a database,” this data allegedly “becomes stale and, therefore, ‘must constantly be updated by the user,’ which requires the user to have access to the database and understand how to use and modify the database or else rely on the intervention of an administrator.” Arendi alleged that the ’843 patented invention removes the need to be familiar with the database.
LG was accused of direct, indirect and willful infringement of the patent-in-suit. Specifically, Arendi proffered that LG infringed at least claims 1, 8, 23, and 30 of the ’843 patent by “making, using, selling, offering to sell, and/or importing” its purportedly infringing products and devices, which include the LG Stylo 4, LG Q7+, LG G7 ThinQ, LG V30, LG Zone 4, LG X Venture, LG Grace, LG Fiesta, LG K10, LG Classic, LG Google Nexus 4, among others.
Arendi asserted that LG has induced infringement through its customers including consumers and cell phone carriers in connection with the accused systems. Specifically, Arendi averred that LG “touted the technological benefits of the Accused Instrumentalities, including the claimed invention.” LG also allegedly contributorily infringed and Arendi noted that LG’s purported infringement has occurred since at least 2012. According to the complaint, the Accused Instrumentalities are designed to be used in a way that infringes the patent-in-suit, but Arendi did not provide examples of the Accused Instrumentalities’ infringement in the complaint.
Arendi, represented by Smith, Katzenstein & Jenkins LLP and Susman Godfrey, LLP, has sought declaratory judgment in its favor, treble damages, pre and post judgment interest, and other awards.
