DCT

3:23-cv-06521

DoDots Licensing Solutions LLC v. Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

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I. Executive Summary and Procedural Information

  • Parties & Counsel:
  • Case Identification: 6:22-cv-00535, W.D. Tex., 07/26/2023
  • Venue Allegations: Venue is alleged to be proper against Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. as a foreign corporation, against Samsung Electronics America, Inc. based on its regular and established place of business in the district, and against Best Buy based on its regular and established place of business in Waco, Texas.
  • Core Dispute: Plaintiff alleges that Defendants’ Samsung Galaxy mobile phones and tablets, and the associated Android-based operating system and application store software, infringe patents related to methods of accessing and displaying network content via self-contained applications or widgets, separate from a traditional web browser.
  • Technical Context: The technology addresses the delivery of internet content through small, dedicated applications ("Dots" or "widgets") as an alternative to full-featured web browsers, a foundational concept in the development of modern mobile and desktop user interfaces.
  • Key Procedural History: The complaint states that all three patents-in-suit survived inter partes review (IPR) proceedings before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB), which found the challenged claims not unpatentable as obvious. The complaint further notes that these PTAB decisions were affirmed by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit on December 8, 2021.

Case Timeline

Date Event
1999-04-26 Earliest Priority Date for ’545, ’083, and ’407 Patents
2010-01-01 Approximate launch period for accused Samsung Galaxy S phones
2011-09-13 U.S. Patent No. 8,020,083 Issued
2013-08-13 U.S. Patent No. 8,510,407 Issued
2016-06-14 U.S. Patent No. 9,369,545 Issued
2020-09-09 PTAB Final Written Decision on ’545 Patent
2021-01-05 PTAB Final Written Decision on ’407 Patent
2021-01-19 PTAB Final Written Decision on ’083 Patent
2021-12-08 Federal Circuit affirms PTAB decisions for all patents-in-suit
2023-07-26 Complaint Filing Date

II. Technology and Patent(s)-in-Suit Analysis

U.S. Patent No. 9,369,545 - “Accessing and Displaying Network Content,” issued June 14, 2016

The Invention Explained

  • Problem Addressed: The complaint characterizes the technological environment as one of dissatisfaction with traditional web browsers, noting a "growing desire for individual users to fully control the aggregation and presentation of content and web applications that appears on a client computer" (Compl. ¶29; ’545 Patent, col. 1:48-51). Existing web pages were described as slow, difficult to navigate, and a "mess" (Compl. ¶¶28-29).
  • The Patented Solution: The invention describes a method for a client device to obtain and display network content without a traditional browser. A device requests a "networked information monitor template" from a server, which defines a viewer graphical user interface (GUI) and references a network location for the content. The device then presents this GUI separate from any other interface (like a browser), requests the specified content from the network, and displays it within the self-contained GUI. The patent specification describes these as "fully configurable frame[s] with one or more controls" (’545 Patent, col. 4:56-60).
  • Technical Importance: This "Web without a browser" approach was designed to use significantly less data than a traditional web page, allowing for faster loading and a more direct connection between users and content providers (Compl. ¶¶33, 36).

Key Claims at a Glance

  • The complaint asserts independent claim 1 and dependent claims 2, 9-10, 12, and 13 (Compl. ¶¶78-79, 139).
  • Claim 1 recites a computer-implemented method comprising the essential elements of:
    • Transmitting a request to a server for a networked information monitor template.
    • Receiving the template, which comprises a definition of a viewer GUI and a definition of a first content element referencing a network location.
    • Presenting the viewer GUI on the device's display, separate from and outside of any other GUI that includes user controls for specifying the network location.
    • Transmitting a first content request to that network location.
    • Receiving the first content element.
    • Presenting the received content element in the viewer GUI, wherein the GUI definition defines controls for user interaction.

U.S. Patent No. 8,020,083 - “System and Methods for Creating and Authoring Internet Content Using Application Media Packages,” issued September 13, 2011

The Invention Explained

  • Problem Addressed: The patent's background section describes the limitations of the conventional web browser model, where content is "trapped within the frame of the browser," giving developers limited control over the user experience (’083 Patent, col. 2:21-24). Users wishing to view multiple sources of content simultaneously were forced to open multiple, non-optimized browser windows (’083 Patent, col. 2:36-44).
  • The Patented Solution: The patent claims a client device comprising electronic storage with "networked information monitor templates" stored on it. Each template defines a GUI that notably "lacks controls for manually navigating a network" and includes a frame for displaying content. The template also contains a "content reference" (e.g., a URL) pointing to a network location. A processor on the device accesses the template, requests the content from the specified location via TCP/IP, and generates the GUI with the received content displayed inside its frame (’083 Patent, Abstract; col. 8:25-50).
  • Technical Importance: This technology provided a framework for creating and distributing self-contained, browser-independent "mini-applications" (referred to as "Application Media Packages" or "Dots") that could be authored as simple packages and rendered by a client-side viewer application (’083 Patent, col. 3:49-56).

Key Claims at a Glance

  • The complaint asserts independent claim 1, among others (Compl. ¶¶97-98, 150).
  • Claim 1 recites a client device comprising the essential elements of:
    • Electronic storage having stored thereon a networked information monitor template.
    • The template comprising a content reference with a network location accessible via TCP/IP.
    • The template also comprising a definition of a GUI that lacks controls for manually navigating a network and includes a frame for displaying content.
    • The template also comprising instructions to request content from the network location and generate the GUI with the received content within the frame.
    • An electronic display.
    • One or more processors configured to access the template and present the GUI on the display.

Multi-Patent Capsule: U.S. Patent No. 8,510,407 - “Displaying Time-Varying Internet Based Data Using Application Media,” issued August 13, 2013

  • Technology Synopsis: This patent focuses on displaying dynamic, time-varying data from the internet. The claimed client computing device stores a template that defines a GUI frame, which "lacks controls for enabling a user to specify a network location" (’407 Patent, col. 1:50-55). The device's processor executes computer program modules that use this template to transmit a content request to a web server, receive time-varying content (e.g., stock prices), and present that dynamic content within the GUI frame, separate from any other application (’407 Patent, Abstract).
  • Asserted Claims: The complaint asserts independent claim 1, among others (Compl. ¶¶110-111, 157).
  • Accused Features: The accused features are Samsung devices running applications (e.g., stock widgets) that display continuously updated, time-varying information from the internet within a frame that is separate from a web browser (Compl. ¶¶113, 116, 120, 122).

III. The Accused Instrumentality

Product Identification

The accused instrumentalities are collectively identified as "Accused Samsung Devices" and "Accused Samsung Software" (Compl. ¶¶73-74). This includes various Samsung Galaxy series mobile phones and tablets, the customized Android operating system running on them, pre-installed app stores (Google Play Store and Galaxy App Store), and the applications downloaded from those stores, referred to as "Samsung-Supported Apps" (Compl. ¶¶73-75).

Functionality and Market Context

The complaint alleges that the Accused Samsung Software is specifically designed to cause the Accused Samsung Devices to download and run the Samsung-Supported Apps (Compl. ¶75). The operational theory is that when a user initiates a download, the device transmits a request for an "application package" (APK file) to an app store server (Compl. ¶84). This APK file is alleged to be the claimed "networked information monitor template" (Compl. ¶84). The complaint alleges this APK file contains data structures defining the application's GUI and references to network locations from which the application's content is served (Compl. ¶¶86, 89). The complaint provides a visual of the evolution of the commercially prominent Samsung Galaxy S phone line to support its allegations regarding the devices. This image shows the progression of Galaxy S phones since 2010 (Compl. p. 20).

IV. Analysis of Infringement Allegations

’545 Patent Infringement Allegations

| Claim Element (from Independent Claim 1) | Alleged Infringing Functionality | Complaint Citation | Patent Citation |
|:-----------------------------------------------|:-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------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|
| transmitting a request to the server over the network, the request requesting networked information monitor template | The Accused Samsung Software sends a request to an App Store for an application package (APK file), which is alleged to constitute the claimed template. | ¶84 | col. 9:1-10 |
| receiving the requested networked information monitor template from the server ... the networked information monitor template comprising: a definition of a viewer graphical user interface ... and a definition of a first content element ... referencing a first network location | The device receives the APK file, which allegedly includes data structures (e.g., XML or JSON files) defining the app's UI and specifying a network location (URL) for content. | ¶¶85-87, 89 | col. 4:56-65 |
| responsive to instructions included in the requested networked information monitor template, presenting the viewer graphical user interface defined by the networked information monitor on the display of the client computing device separate from and outside of any other graphical user interface | The software presents the app's GUI on the device's screen, outside of a web browser. A screenshot of a stock tracking application is provided as an example. This visual shows a standalone application interface displaying stock data (Compl. p. 24). | ¶¶91-92 | col. 10:1-10 |
| responsive to instructions included in the requested networked information monitor template, transmitting over the network a first content request to the first network location referenced by the definition of the first content element | The application transmits a request to the network location specified in the APK file to retrieve the actual content (e.g., stock market data). | ¶93 | col. 9:11-20 |
| receiving, over the network, the first content element transmitted responsive to the first content request | The device receives the requested content (e.g., stock price data) over the network. | ¶94 | col. 9:21-23 |
| presenting the received the first content element in the viewer graphical user interface ... wherein the definition ... define all controls for enabling a user to interact with the first content element | The received content (e.g., stock price) is presented in the app's UI, which provides controls for user interaction, such as selecting specific stocks to track. | ¶95 | col. 10:1-10 |

Identified Points of Contention

  • Scope Questions: A central dispute may be whether a modern Android Application Package (APK file), which includes compiled code, resources, and a manifest file, constitutes a "networked information monitor template" as that term is used in the patent. A defendant could argue the patented "template" refers to a simpler, singular data structure (like an XML file) rather than a complex software package.
  • Technical Questions: The analysis may turn on whether the accused apps are truly presented "separate from and outside of any other graphical user interface that includes user controls for specifying the first network location." A defendant could argue that the underlying operating system or the app store from which the app was launched constitute such an "other" interface.

’083 Patent Infringement Allegations

| Claim Element (from Independent Claim 1) | Alleged Infringing Functionality | Complaint Citation | Patent Citation |
|:-----------------------------------------------|:-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------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|
| electronic storage having stored thereon a plurality of networked information monitor templates | The device's electronic flash storage contains multiple downloaded applications (Samsung-Supported Apps), which are alleged to be the claimed templates. A teardown image shows the physical flash storage chip in a Samsung Galaxy S21 (Compl. p. 29). | ¶¶100-101 | col. 5:40-44 |
| a content reference that comprises a network location at which content for the first networked information is accessible via a TCP/IP protocol | The application's data structures (derived from the APK file) contain a reference, such as a URL, to a network location from which content (e.g., stock price data) is accessed over the internet using TCP/IP. | ¶102 | col. 8:36-41 |
| a definition of a graphical user interface ... that lacks controls for manually navigating a network, and that includes a frame within which content received from the network location can be displayed | The graphical user interface of the accused application (e.g., a stock app) is alleged to lack browser-like navigation controls (e.g., an address bar) and provides a frame to display content. | ¶103 | col. 13:40-49 |
| instructions configured (i) to cause the first networked information monitor to request content ... and (ii) to cause the first networked information monitor to generate the graphical user interface | The application's code is configured to request content from the specified network location and to generate the GUI displaying that content within its frame. | ¶105 | col. 8:42-50 |
| an electronic display | The screen of the Accused Samsung Device. A visual depicts the display specifications for various Galaxy S21 models (Compl. p. 34). | ¶108 | col. 5:28-34 |
| one or more processors configured to access the first networked information monitor template such that the graphical user interface ... is presented to a user on the electronic display | The processor(s) in the Accused Samsung Device execute the application code to access the template and present the GUI on the screen. | ¶¶108-109 | col. 5:24-27 |

Identified Points of Contention

  • Scope Questions: A key point of contention will likely be the negative limitation "lacks controls for manually navigating a network." A defendant may argue that if an application includes an embedded web view or hyperlinks that can launch a browser, it does not "lack" such controls, even if they are not part of the primary interface.
  • Technical Questions: The dispute may focus on what constitutes the "template." The complaint appears to equate the entire stored application with the "template," whereas a defendant might argue the "template" is a smaller, distinct configuration file within the application package, and that the "instructions" are separate compiled code not part of the template itself.

V. Key Claim Terms for Construction

  • Term: "networked information monitor template" (from '545 and '083 Patents)

    • Context and Importance: The definition of this term is central to the infringement analysis for both lead patents. The case may turn on whether a modern, complex Android Application Package (APK) can be considered a "template." Practitioners may focus on this term because the patents' specifications describe templates in ways that could support both broad and narrow interpretations when applied to current technology.
    • Intrinsic Evidence for a Broader Interpretation: The '083 patent specification, which is part of the same family, describes an "Application Media Package" as a "software component...representing the definition of a client-side mini-application" (’083 Patent, col. 8:25-29). This language may support an interpretation where the entire application package functions as the template.
    • Intrinsic Evidence for a Narrower Interpretation: The specification also states that the "Dot Definition [template] is typically XML code" and is a "simple to author" file that is "content, rather than compiled code" (’083 Patent, col. 13:30-36). This could support a narrower construction limiting the "template" to a specific, non-compiled configuration file (e.g., a manifest) within the larger APK.

  • Term: "lacks controls for manually navigating a network" (from '083 Patent)

    • Context and Importance: This negative limitation is crucial for distinguishing the claimed invention from a conventional web browser. Infringement of the '083 patent depends on the accused apps falling on the non-browser side of this definitional line.
    • Intrinsic Evidence for a Broader Interpretation (favors Plaintiff): The specification clarifies that the patented viewer "is not designed to provide user web navigation and page control typically provided by a web browser" (’083 Patent, col. 6:4-6). This suggests the limitation targets the absence of a primary, general-purpose web navigation interface, not necessarily the absolute absence of any linking capability.
    • Intrinsic Evidence for a Narrower Interpretation (favors Defendant): The plain language "lacks controls" could be strictly interpreted to mean the complete absence of any such controls. A defendant may argue that the presence of an embedded WebView component or even a single hyperlink that can launch an external browser means the application does not "lack" these controls.

VI. Other Allegations

  • Indirect Infringement: The complaint alleges Samsung actively induces infringement by manufacturing and selling the accused devices, operating the Galaxy App Store, and encouraging users through marketing and instructions to download and use the accused apps in an infringing manner (Compl. ¶¶127-128, 134).
  • Willful Infringement: The complaint alleges that Samsung had pre-suit knowledge of the patents-in-suit. Specific allegations include communications in April 2011 with Samsung's IP counsel regarding the portfolio including the application that issued as the ’083 patent, and communications in December 2014 with a Samsung Senior Licensing Manager regarding the portfolio including the issued ’083 and ’407 patents and the application that issued as the ’545 patent (Compl. ¶¶54-62, 132).

VII. Analyst’s Conclusion: Key Questions for the Case

  1. Definitional Scope and Technological Evolution: A core issue will be one of definitional scope: can the term "networked information monitor template," conceived in the context of early 2000s web technology and often described as a simple XML file, be construed to cover a modern, complex Android Application Package (APK) containing compiled code, resources, and manifest files?
  2. The Browser vs. App Distinction: The case will likely turn on a question of functional demarcation: where is the line between a dedicated application that "lacks controls for manually navigating a network" and a limited-function web browser? The analysis will require determining if features like embedded web views or links to external sites in the accused apps are sufficient to constitute the "controls" negated by the claims.
  3. Knowledge and Intent: Given the specific allegations of pre-suit communications with Samsung's IP and licensing personnel dating back over a decade, and the subsequent survival of the patents in PTAB proceedings, a key question for trial will be willfulness. The evidence alleged in the complaint raises the possibility that both pre-suit and post-suit conduct will be central to the determination of damages.