In February 2022, Mullen Industries LLC sued Apple in the Western District of Texas over the provision of devices (e.g., Apple Watches, iPhones, iPads, and iPods) or services (e.g., iCloud) that support the Apple Maps or Find My service, as well as Apple Watches that support features for answering phone calls. That case ended last October; now Mullen Industries has turned to Samsung (2:24-cv-00049) over a superset of the same patents, all generally related to interactions between two mobile devices. Samsung is targeted over the provision of smartphones, smartwatches, and tablets.
More particularly, the patents-in-suit broadly concern using a wireless device to track the location of another wireless device (8,354,575; 9,204,283; 9,635,540; 11,096,039; 11,109,218; 11,122,418; 11,234,117; 11,246,024) or a watch that provides notification of an incoming call to a separate mobile device (11,190,633).The former seven-patent family has issue dates ranging from February 2013 through January 2022, with earliest estimated priority in March 2002, based on the filing of a provisional application. The '633 patent, issuing in November 2021, is the newest member of another, three-patent family with shared priority in March 2003. On February 7, 2022, Jeffrey D. ("Jeff") Mullen, the patents' sole named inventor, transferred the patents to the plaintiff.
Mullen Industries was formed in Delaware on January 14, 2022, with Jeff Mullen identified as the plaintiff's owner in the complaints. The pleadings describe him as an inventor, technologist, electrical and computer engineer, MBA graduate, and founder of multiple companies. On social media, a Jeffrey Mullen—"JD, MBA candidate, BS in Electrical & Computer Engineering"—identifies himself as the founder and CEO with Dynamics Inc., which is described as "produc[ing] a next-generation payment credit card". His prior positions include associate with Pittsburgh Equity Partners and a patent agent and attorney with Ropes and Gray. On Dynamics's website, Mullen is described as "an inventor on more than 150 patents ranging from mainstream consumer electronics to children's electronic toys".
District Judge Alan D. Albright transferred the case against Apple to the Northern District of California, after which little substantively happened before the parties notified the court of a settlement. Mintz Levin represents Mullen Industries in the litigation. The Samsung case has been assigned to Chief Judge Rodney Gilstrap. 1/26, Eastern District of Texas.
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