DCT

2:24-cv-00198

Taasera Licensing LLC v. Joya Systems LLC

Key Events

Complaint

complaint

I. Executive Summary and Procedural Information

Parties & Counsel:
- Plaintiff: Taasera Licensing LLC (Texas)
- Defendant: Joya Systems, LLC (Texas)
- Plaintiff’s Counsel: Fabricant LLP
Case Identification: 2:24-cv-00198, E.D. Tex., 03/19/2024
Venue Allegations: Venue is alleged to be proper as Defendant is subject to personal jurisdiction in the district and engaged in alleged wrongful conduct, including directing a demand letter to an entity within the district.
Core Dispute: Plaintiff seeks a declaratory judgment that Defendant has no inventorship or ownership rights in a portfolio of patents Plaintiff acquired, and further alleges tortious interference with business relationships under Texas law.
Technical Context: The patents relate to the field of cybersecurity, specifically methods for attesting to the security and integrity of software applications and calculating security risks in computer networks.
Key Procedural History: The dispute arises from an October 2013 consulting agreement between Defendant and Taasera, Inc. (Plaintiff's predecessor-in-interest). Defendant allegedly obtained a default judgment against Taasera, Inc. for non-payment. Plaintiff, who acquired the patents from Taasera, Inc. in 2021, alleges the inventions were conceived before the 2013 agreement.

Case Timeline

Date	Event
2011-02-17	Priority Date for U.S. Patent No. 8,327,441
2012-05-01	Priority Date for U.S. Patent Nos. 8,776,180; 8,850,588; 8,990,948; 9,027,125; 9,092,616
2013-10-01	Joya and Taasera, Inc. allegedly entered into a services agreement (approximate date)
2021-01-01	Plaintiff Taasera Licensing LLC purchased a group of patents from Taasera, Inc. (approximate date)
2024-03-04	Defendant Joya served a demand letter on Plaintiff Taasera Licensing
2024-03-19	Complaint Filing Date

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

U.S. Patent No. 8,327,441 - "System and Method for Application Attestation"

Issued: December 4, 2012

The Invention Explained

Problem Addressed: The patent addresses the trend of cloud computing and data center virtualization where enterprise software and IT infrastructure are provided by third parties, creating a need to verify the integrity and security of applications running in these environments (Compl. ¶3; ’441 Patent, col. 1:13-24).
The Patented Solution: The invention provides a system where a "runtime monitor" on a target platform examines the execution context of an application. This information is sent to an external "attestation service" which generates an "application artifact" and "application statements" that represent the application's level of trustworthiness in near real-time. These statements can then be used by identity providers or network enforcers to control user access to the application based on its verified security posture ('441 Patent, Abstract; Fig. 1).
Technical Importance: The technology aimed to provide dynamic, context-aware security controls for applications in virtualized environments, moving beyond static, topology-based security rules ('441 Patent, col. 2:40-49).

Key Claims at a Glance

The complaint does not assert any specific claims for infringement, as this is a declaratory judgment action regarding inventorship and ownership. The independent claims of the ’441 Patent provide context for the technology at issue.

Independent Claim 1 (Method):
- Receiving, by an attestation server, a runtime execution context and a security context for an application.
- Generating a report indicating security risks based on the received contexts.
- Sending the report as an attestation result.
Independent Claim 14 (Apparatus):
- A processing unit for receiving a runtime execution context and security context, generating a security risk report, and sending the report.
- A memory for storing the report.
Independent Claim 22 (Apparatus):
- A processing unit at a computing platform for generating a runtime execution context, sending it to an attestation service, receiving an application artifact for tracking changes, and updating the context.
- A memory for storing the artifact.

U.S. Patent No. 8,776,180 - "Systems and Methods for Using Reputation Scores in Network Services and Transactions to Calculate Security Risks to Computer Systems and Platforms"

Issued: July 8, 2024

The Invention Explained

Problem Addressed: The patent identifies a need for systems that can provide runtime "operational integrity attestation" for both application security and user reputation, particularly in cloud-based environments where threats can be posed by both internal and external users (’180 Patent, col. 3:1-12).
The Patented Solution: The invention describes a security orchestration service that generates "runtime operational integrity profiles" to identify the level of threat or trustworthiness of subjects (e.g., devices, users, applications) in near real-time. The system calculates security risks by determining "subject reputation scores" based on a "calculus of risk" derived from various attributes and external information systems (’180 Patent, Abstract; col. 5:1-10).
Technical Importance: The technology aimed to create a more holistic security model by incorporating a subject's "risk posture" or reputation score into access control decisions, moving beyond simple credential verification (’180 Patent, col. 3:42-49).

Key Claims at a Glance

The complaint does not assert any specific claims for infringement. The independent claims of the ’180 Patent provide context for the technology at issue.

Independent Claim 1 (System):
- A hardware processor.
- A reputation broker configured to process a query for a reputation score and dispatch a request to a trust orchestrator.
- The trust orchestrator is configured to initiate queries to information management systems, analyze responses, receive a hierarchical reputation score based on a calculus of risk, and send it to the broker.
Independent Claim 21 (Method):
- Receiving a query for a reputation score.
- Dispatching a request to generate a just-in-time reputation score.
- Processing the request by initiating queries, analyzing responses, generating a score, and sending the score to a reputation broker.
- Sending a reputation token to a service provider.

U.S. Patent No. 8,850,517 - "Runtime Risk Detection Based on User, Application, and System Action Sequence Correlation"

Issued: September 30, 2014

Technology Synopsis

The patent describes a method for assessing runtime risk by monitoring sequences of user, application, and system actions. It stores rules identifying specific action sequences and uses assessment policies to identify runtime risks and predict threats based on observed sequences, ultimately generating a behavior score for the application or device (’517 Patent, Abstract).