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Key people at Vringo.
Vringo is a technology company focused on acquiring and monetizing intellectual property assets across telecommunications and internet search. Its core business involves identifying and asserting patents against infringing entities, utilizing litigation to secure licensing and royalties from corporations. The company leverages its patent holdings to generate economic benefit.
Founded in 2006 by Jonathan Medved and David Goldfarb, Vringo initially developed mobile entertainment. A significant pivot occurred in 2012 through its merger with Innovate/Protect, an IP firm by Andrew Kennedy Lang and Alexander R. Berger. This strategic move, under CEO Andrew Perlman, solidified Vringo's IP assertion and monetization focus.
Vringo engages technology companies for alleged patent infringement, unlike traditional product-based services. Its vision centers on maximizing economic benefit from intellectual property holdings, ensuring fair compensation. It continuously navigates IP law, pursuing enforcement and revenue from its acquired portfolio.
Key people at Vringo.
Vringo was a technology company originally focused on mobile entertainment, providing a platform for users to create, download, and share video ringtones and video-sharing services.[3][1][2] After pivoting to intellectual property monetization through a 2012 merger with Innovate/Protect, it acquired telecom patent portfolios from Nokia and pursued global litigation against companies like ZTE and Google, winning a notable 2012 IP lawsuit against Google and securing injunctions in multiple countries.[2][1] This shift positioned Vringo as a player in the "patent wars," generating revenue from licensing and enforcement rather than product sales, though it faced criticism as a "patent troll."[1]
Vringo was founded in 2006 by Israeli entrepreneurs Jonathan Medved, a venture capitalist, and David Goldfarb, a mobile software specialist.[1][2] Initially funded by Warburg Pincus with $14 million by 2009, it went public in 2010, raising $11 million, but struggled with net losses from its video ringtone business.[2] A pivotal moment came in March 2012 with a merger with Innovate/Protect, an IP firm founded by Andrew Kennedy Lang (ex-CTO at Lycos) and Alexander R. Berger (VP at Hudson Bay Capital).[1][2] Post-merger, Andrew Perlman became CEO, Lang joined as CTO, Berger as COO, and the board added experts like Donald E. Stout from NTP, Inc., which had won $612.5 million from RIM.[2] In 2012, David L. Cohen (ex-Nokia counsel) joined and sourced a 124-patent-family portfolio from Nokia for $22 million plus revenue share, including standard essential patents (SEPs).[1][2]
Vringo rode the early 2010s "patent wars" trend, where tech giants clashed over telecom standards amid smartphone proliferation, asserting SEPs against implementers like ZTE to enforce FRAND licensing.[1][2] Timing was ideal post-IPO struggles, as the Nokia deal capitalized on carriers' need for 3G/4G patents amid rising Android adoption. Market forces like anti-patent rhetoric from targets (labeling Vringo a "patent vulture") highlighted tensions between innovators and implementers, influencing ecosystem debates on IP value.[1] Vringo amplified scrutiny on SEP monetization, paving the way for later consolidations like Nokia's patent sales to others.
Vringo exemplified the high-risk IP assertion model, thriving briefly on litigation wins but vulnerable to losses and troll stigma; by 2016 SEC filings, it emphasized IP monetization without clear ongoing operations.[5] Likely defunct or acquired post-patent exhaustion (no recent activity noted), its legacy warns of sustainability in enforcement plays. Future trends like 5G/6G standards and AI patents may revive similar models, but with stronger FRAND reforms—Vringo's influence could evolve through alumni like Cohen driving compliant IP strategies at firms like Kidon IP.[1] This battle-hardened pivot from ringtones to royalties underscores tech's ruthless IP underbelly.
