Suit Filed Against Retail Supplier Holding Co. Alleging Patent Infringement

A lawsuit has been filed in federal court alleging that a retail supplier holding company has infringed on several patents

Marathon Patent Group, Inc. announced that its subsidiary Sampo IP, LLC has filed a patent infringement lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas against Ambit Energy Holdings, LLC, BMC Software Inc., HomeAway, Inc., Hoover's Inc. and Ristken Software.

Sampo is alleging infringement related to U.S. Patent numbers 6,772,229, 6,161,149 and 8,015,495, each entitled Centrifugal Communication and Collaboration Method. The lawsuit alleges that the defendants have, "infringed, and continue to infringe, the claims of the patents in suit by using the accused communications systems and methods covered by the claims of the Asserted Patents," according to a Marathon news release.

The suit alleges that on information and belief, each defendant uses an online communications environment offered by Rally Software, e.g., Rally’s Agile Application Lifecycle Management platform, which offers a communication system whereby the users of such system, via a network of computing devices linked by a network, are able to communicate with one another using such computing devices. The computing devices, which include computers and cellular telephones, are capable of transmitting and receiving information. By way of example, the information communicated between users can be used to facilitate workflow and collaboration on group tasks, projects and documents, etc.

The systems have a central device that can receive information from, and transmit information to, the computing devices of the users. The users’ computing devices are linked to the systems. A first user is able to input information intended for a second user into the first user’s computing device.

The systems will, based upon the information provided by the first user, generate a notice to a second user and allow for access to the information from the first user. The systems store a second information input in response to the first information input, and generates a notice directed to another user. The systems store a third information input from a member in response to the second information input and associate it with the first and second information inputs while retaining the first and second information inputs.

"The Defendants have directly infringed, and continue to directly infringe, the claims of the Asserted Patents by using the accused communications systems and methods covered by the claims of the Asserted Patents," the suit alleges.

Case 2:13-cv-00386-JRG, United States District Court For The Eastern District Of Texas Marshall Division