FBI Strikes Back Against Non-Practicing Entity

On December 14, 2010, St. Louis, MO based Furniture Brands International filed a declaratory judgment action against Webvention Holdings, LLC in the United States District Court for the District of Delaware (Civil Action No. 1:10-cv-1090).  As with 11 other cases filed against Webvention in Delaware, the complaint seeks a declaration of noninfringement or unenforceability of U.S. Patent No. 5,251,294 ("the '294 patent").  Webvention is a non-practicing entity (a/k/a "patent trolls") that has sued numerous well-known entities in the Eastern District of Texas for infringement of the '294 patent, entitled "Accessing, Assembling, and Using Bodies of Information."

Webvention has been served and its response to the complaint is due Feb. 17, 2011.  This case, along with the 11 other related cases, will be watched closely as it will affect Webvention's infringement cases in Texas and Webvention's ability to continue collecting licensing fees.