Canon (Canon USA) (1:25-cv-01826) is the latest defendant to be added to the first litigation campaign of Key Patent Innovations Limited (KPI) and Malikie Innovations Limited. In the new Western District of Texas complaint, the plaintiffs assert six former BlackBerry patents, each of which are asserted in litigation for the first time. Infringement allegations target a wide array of products ranging from cameras to printers, with the list of features at issue including support for certain IEEE 802.11 standards, the image.canon website, the TLS 1.3 protocol, and the Canon Camera Connect Application.
Proceeding alone in its earliest cases, Malikie, as "the successor-in-interest to a substantial patent portfolio created and procured over many years by [BlackBerry]"), now files its cases with coplaintiff Key Patent Innovations Limited (KPI), as "the beneficiary of a trust pursuant to which Malikie owns, holds, and asserts the Asserted Patents". KPI characterizes itself on its public website as "an Irish-based company that identifies and invests in high value patent-based opportunities", listing a team of directors headed by Angela Quinlan.
Quinlan has been in the role of KPI managing director since July 2020, listing past positions with Dublin-based monetization firm Atlantic IP Services Limited ("Vice President of Licensing and Acquisitions" from September 2019 to July 2020); with one of Atlantic IP's portfolio of plaintiffs, Solas OLED Limited ("Vice President of Licensing and Associate General Counsel" from April 2019 to July 2020); and with patent advisory firm IPValue Management (d/b/a IPValue) subsidiary Longitude Licensing Limited (patent attorney from March 2014 through April 2019).
KPI advertises three portfolios, one held by each of Malikie (the former BlackBerry patents), Pictiva Displays International Limited (former OSRAM patents), and Valtrus Innovations Limited (former HP Enterprise (HPE) patents). Valtrus has been litigating its portfolio since early 2022, and in October 2023, Pictiva began litigating, suing Samsung in the Eastern District of Texas. KPI's ownership model for these portfolios—with each litigating plaintiff holding their respective portfolios in trust (under Irish law) for the benefit of KPI—came under pressure in the Valtrus campaign, where District Judge Rodney Gilstrap ultimately rejected a challenge to standing based on that model.
Belonging to a family of 16, The first patent-in-suit (7,747,934) issued in June 2010 with an estimated priority date in October 2004. It is broadly directed to "low-density parity-check (LDPC) encoding data", with Canon accused of infringement through the provision of devices (e.g., cameras and printers) incorporating Canon Wi-Fi modules that are compliant with certain IEEE 802.11 standards.
The second asserted patent (8,068,698) generally relates to resizing an image on a device before transmitting it to an "online image repository". Belonging to a family of two, the patent issued in November 2011 with an estimated priority date in May 2007. Canon is targeted over devices such as the EOS R/DSLR, EOS M, and Powershot-series cameras. At issue are features for allowing users to resize an image before transmitting them to image.canon.
Belonging to a family of three, the third asserted patent (9,143,323) issued in September 2015 with an estimated priority date in April 2005. It generally relates to securing a "communication link" between two devices through the use of cryptographic keys. Canon is accused of infringing the patent through the provision of products such as Canon DX Series printers including imageRUNNER ADVANCE DX, imagePRESS Lite, imageFORCE, imageCLASS, and MF289dw/MF284dw. At issue are features for securing a communication link through the TLS 1.3 protocol.
The fourth patent-in-suit (9,218,434) generally relates to "updating a media-sharing website". Belonging to a different three-member family, the patent issued in December 2015 with an estimated priority date in May 2007. Canon is targeted over devices, including the EOS and Powershot-series cameras, that support features for operating with the image.canon website.
The fifth asserted patent (10,003,730) belongs to a family of two and issued in June 2018 with an estimated priority date in February 2012. It generally relates to entering a "camera-feature-sharing mode" through a short range communication module. At issue are Canon products (e.g., EOS, Powershot, and XF-series cameras) that include or are compatible with the Canon Camera Connect Application.
Finally, the sixth patent-in-suit (10,484,870) generally relates to establishing a "data connection" between a mobile and peripheral device. Belonging to a family of five, the patent issued in November 2019 with an estimated priority date in April 2004. Canon is accused of infringing the patent through the EOS, Powershot, and XF-series cameras, which are capable of establishing a connection with smartphones and tablets.
An assertion grid for this campaign, which has now nearly 40 former BlackBerry patents asserted, is available on RPX Empower. Malikie Innovations received the patents in a portfolio of "approximately 32,000" patent assets from BlackBerry in May 2023, according to a press release that describes the portfolio as comprising BlackBerry's "non-core patents and patent applications".
Malikie cases remain open against Nintendo (filed last September); against Bumble, Match Group, and Vantiva (filed this February); and against Apollo Global Management (ADT)and NRG Energy (Vivint Smart Home) (filed in May). A declaratory judgment action brought by Vantiva in June 2025 also remains ongoing. See "KPI and Malikie Sue Three More in Its Existing Campaign, Two in New Bitcoin Litigation" (May 2025) for additional coverage on this campaign.
KPI and Malikie's case against Match Group was filed in the Northern District of Texas, the local rules of which impose heightened disclosure requirements. There, the plaintiffs filed a bare corporate disclosure, identifying Malikie as wholly owned by KPI (and KPI as wholly owned by New PP Licensing LLC), further indicating that no publicly held corporation owns ten percent or more of KPI's "stock". As RPX reported shortly thereafter, the plaintiffs had not filed a certified list of interested parties—i.e., one providing "a complete list of all persons, associations of persons, firms, partnerships, corporations, guarantors, insurers, affiliates, parent or subsidiary corporations, or other legal entities that are financially interested in the outcome of the case".
Since that reporting, Malikie filed a "supplemental document" purportedly providing such a "complete list", that list containing BlackBerry in addition to both KPI and New PP Licensing. The terms of the deal by which KPI, through Malikie, acquired its portfolio from BlackBerry is covered in more detail at "Bulk of BlackBerry Patent Portfolio Finds New Home" (March 2023). That deal reportedly included sharing profits from any monetization with BlackBerry.
The first KPI trial has concluded. An Eastern District of Texas jury awarded the plaintiffs $191M against Samsung in the Pictiva campaign. For details, see "East Texas Jury Returns Verdict for Pictiva After Samsung Seeks Mistrial" (November 2025). A jury trial had been scheduled to recently proceed before Judge Gilstrap as well, in the first case that Valtrus filed against SAP. The parties appear to have settled, ending a set of disputes between them.
The West Texas case has been assigned to District Judge Alan D. Albright; Reichman Jorgenson Lehman and Feldberg LLP represent KPI and Malikie in this campaign. 11/12, Western District of Texas.
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