In one day, Trust & Verify Data Protection LLC filed nine patent infringement complaints against Ravelin Technology, BuzzFeed, Vimeo, Stripe, and other companies over their use of their “transaction verification” technology. The patents-in-suit is U.S. Patent No, 7,137,140 (the ’140 Patent), entitled “Transaction verification” and 7,162,735 (the ’735 Patent), entitled “Digital data protection arrangement.” The defendants range from payment processors to video game developers and media hosting websites.
Trust & Verify claimed that fraud protection software provider Ravelin infringes at least claim 25 of the ’140 patent, which describes “[a] method of operating a network system comprising a first computer arrangement and a second computer arrangement connected by a computer network, wherein: the first computer arrangement requests data be transferred from the second computer arrangement to the first computer arrangement…” They stated that Ravelin “provides APIs (Application Program Interface) for merchants and PSPs (Payment Service Providers) to identify and reduce risks to online businesses.” The company allegedly used “signals from a user’s computing device… (‘first computer arrangement’) to prevent fraud on online commerce and/or PSPs. The user’s computing device is connected to the merchant and/or PSPs’ server and Ravelin’s server (‘second computer arrangement’) by a computer network.” Additionally, the plaintiff claims that this action induces infringement because it involves Ravelin’s users.
In another case, the plaintiff claimed that video hosting platform Vimeo infringes at least claim 4 of the’735 patent, which entails “[a] digital data arrangement comprising protected code and security code wherein: the protected code comprises incomplete executable code, the executable code including one or more call instructions to the security code and the security code, when executed, replaces a respective call instruction with executable code such that the executable code of the protected code in completed upon execution of all call instructions.”
Trust & Verify asserted that Vimeo infringes this claim because Vimeo “provides Vimeo (‘digital data arrangement’), a mobile application which…includes ‘Google Play Instant’ feature allows a user to access the application by clicking on ‘Try Now’ button without downloading and/or installing the application on the user’s Android device. By clicking on ‘Try Now’ button, the user can access the application with limited features. That is, a ‘protected code’ of the application is executed in the background on the user’s device.” The user is then directed to download the app to watch the full version.
Further, Vimeo’s protected code “comprises an incomplete executable code which is downloaded on the user’s mobile device…the ‘INSTALL TO WATCH OFFLINE’ button is included in the incomplete executable code…When the user clicks on ‘INSTALL TO WATCH OFFLINE’ button, a full version of the application starts downloading.”
Lastly, when a Vimeo executes the provided security code the call instruction of the executable code in the protected code is complete. Therefore, “when a user clicks on ‘INSTALL TO WATCH OFFLINE’ button, the full version of application is downloaded with executable code to replace the call instruction.” After this is complete, the ‘INSTALL TO WATCH OFFLINE’ button is not available. Thus, the “executable code completes the protected code by downloading full version of the application.” Trust & Verify claimed that this process evidences its infringement claims.
The suits are filed in the Southern District of New York. Trust & Verify is represented by Rabicoff Law.
