In this blog, I study patent
litigation between Life360 and Advanced Ground Information System (AGIS). Life360 is a Startup company aimed at
helping family members to stay connected to each other. It is a mobile-based
social network that heavily uses location-sharing applications. AGIS is a military contractor, software
developer, and technology company. AGIS has a system called LifeRing, which uses
GPS-based location technology and existing cellular communication networks to
enable its users to exchange location, heading, speeding and other information
with other members of their group, and see each other’s locations superimposed
onto onscreen maps and satellite images.
AGIS filed a lawsuit against Life360 in the Southern District of Florida. The patent in question is U.S. patent 7031728, which was filed in 2004. It covers “a cellular PDA communication system for allowing a plurality of cellular phone users to monitor each other’s location and status, to initiate cellular phone calls by touching a symbol on the display.” Both Life360 and AGIS depend on location-based reporting and communication technology, and the question is whether they merely have similar functions or in fact have similar functions based on the same technology developed by AGIS. The Jury sided with Life360 after Life360 spent over $100,000 in assembling all of the prior art to demonstrate that they did not use anything in the disputed patent.
This case received a lot of attention in the tech community because of Life360’s CEO, Chris Hull’s unswerving attitude in refusing to settle with what he sees as “patent troll.” He claimed that AGIS had no employees on LinkedIn, and a waterfront mansion in Florida as the corporate headquarters. Additionally he advocated start-ups to fight back against patent troll by sharing resources with other victims. He also offered free legal help for other victims sued by patent troll. This case is important because Chris Hull has shown an example of how a start-up can fight against patent trolls.
AGIS filed a lawsuit against Life360 in the Southern District of Florida. The patent in question is U.S. patent 7031728, which was filed in 2004. It covers “a cellular PDA communication system for allowing a plurality of cellular phone users to monitor each other’s location and status, to initiate cellular phone calls by touching a symbol on the display.” Both Life360 and AGIS depend on location-based reporting and communication technology, and the question is whether they merely have similar functions or in fact have similar functions based on the same technology developed by AGIS. The Jury sided with Life360 after Life360 spent over $100,000 in assembling all of the prior art to demonstrate that they did not use anything in the disputed patent.
This case received a lot of attention in the tech community because of Life360’s CEO, Chris Hull’s unswerving attitude in refusing to settle with what he sees as “patent troll.” He claimed that AGIS had no employees on LinkedIn, and a waterfront mansion in Florida as the corporate headquarters. Additionally he advocated start-ups to fight back against patent troll by sharing resources with other victims. He also offered free legal help for other victims sued by patent troll. This case is important because Chris Hull has shown an example of how a start-up can fight against patent trolls.
Hey Yi, awesome post. You really showed that some patent trolls like to bully around small startups even when they don't have any interest in the patent other than money. I like that you used this case to show the downside of big patent troll companies.
ReplyDeleteYi
ReplyDeleteGreat post again, I think you made a lot of valid points about these issues. The bullying that it prompts from bigger companies is simply not fair.
Hey Yi,
ReplyDeleteI like how you point to fighting back and the measures that one can take against patent trolls because often, companies back down and pay just because they think it's the cheaper/easier alternative. What I suggest is potentially linking your articles because they do seem really interesting to me.
Hey Yi!
ReplyDeleteThis is a great post. I also wrote about the same company on Life360, and I really like how they fought against patent trolls and succeeded. They are clearly great examples to follow! However, maybe you could use more bullet points to make it even easier to understand!
Hey Yi,
ReplyDeleteI like how you identified the fighting back of these companies against patent trolls. I do agree that you could consider linking the articles you are researching in the post.
Hi Yi,
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I liked how you went over the background behind the two companies and what they do, and then went into the case and most importantly, the implications of the case. Next time, maybe try to incorporate some imagery to break up the text!