Denver tech firm sued by notoriously litigious patent owner

goSpotCheck office

GoSpotCheck’s office on Market Street in Denver. (Kailyn Lamb)

GoSpotCheck this week got a nod usually bestowed on tech giants like Oracle and Apple.

The distinction? All three have been sued by Leigh Rothschild.

In a federal court case filed this week, Rothschild, via his company Rothschild Digital Confirmation, claims that GoSpotCheck, which makes software used by field reps, violated a 2008 patent for attaching a timestamp and location data to an image.

GoSpotCheck “has directly infringed” Rothschild’s patent, the lawsuit alleges, and “will continue to do so unless enjoined by this court.” Rothschild says the company “has suffered monetary damages and is entitled to a monetary judgment” as a result.

GoSpotCheck CEO Matt Talbot said he had no knowledge of Rothschild’s patent, and called the complaint baseless.

“We just view this whole patent as invalid,” Talbot said. “We do intend to defend ourselves against what we view is a frivolous claim.”

Rothschild is suing for patent infringement and seeking a court order that would block GoSpotCheck from the alleged infringement. And it is seeking damages and costs related to litigation.

The case was filed in U.S. District Court in Denver on Sept. 11. Rothschild is represented by Jean Vidal-Font and Eugenio Torres-Oyola with law firm Ferraiuoli in Puerto Rico. Counsel declined comment.

Started in 2011, GoSpotCheck is used to log field reports in industries like retail and food. The 6-year-old startup, a graduate of Techstars, has raised $26 million in venture funding and has more than 100 employees. It just moved into a new headquarters on Market Street.

Now it is one of hundreds of companies to find itself on the receiving end of a Rothschild lawsuit.

Rothschild has sued Samsung, Apple and LG Electronics for their smartphone technology, among others. By one tally of companies that hold patents but do not produce goods, Rothschild was the most litigious patent owner in 2015. That survey was the work of RPX Corp., a San Francisco company that buys patents to prevent tech clients from getting sued.

Three days before filing its suit against GoSpotCheck, Rothschild Digital Confirmation filed a patent infringement case against software company FieldAware, which also makes mobile apps for field workers.

Talbot sees the lawsuit as a rite of passage – albeit, not one he was expecting.

“It’s super surreal,” he said. “I thought we had hit the big-time when we moved to our new office and got spa water and ice machines.”

goSpotCheck office

GoSpotCheck’s office on Market Street in Denver. (Kailyn Lamb)

GoSpotCheck this week got a nod usually bestowed on tech giants like Oracle and Apple.

The distinction? All three have been sued by Leigh Rothschild.

In a federal court case filed this week, Rothschild, via his company Rothschild Digital Confirmation, claims that GoSpotCheck, which makes software used by field reps, violated a 2008 patent for attaching a timestamp and location data to an image.

GoSpotCheck “has directly infringed” Rothschild’s patent, the lawsuit alleges, and “will continue to do so unless enjoined by this court.” Rothschild says the company “has suffered monetary damages and is entitled to a monetary judgment” as a result.

GoSpotCheck CEO Matt Talbot said he had no knowledge of Rothschild’s patent, and called the complaint baseless.

“We just view this whole patent as invalid,” Talbot said. “We do intend to defend ourselves against what we view is a frivolous claim.”

Rothschild is suing for patent infringement and seeking a court order that would block GoSpotCheck from the alleged infringement. And it is seeking damages and costs related to litigation.

The case was filed in U.S. District Court in Denver on Sept. 11. Rothschild is represented by Jean Vidal-Font and Eugenio Torres-Oyola with law firm Ferraiuoli in Puerto Rico. Counsel declined comment.

Started in 2011, GoSpotCheck is used to log field reports in industries like retail and food. The 6-year-old startup, a graduate of Techstars, has raised $26 million in venture funding and has more than 100 employees. It just moved into a new headquarters on Market Street.

Now it is one of hundreds of companies to find itself on the receiving end of a Rothschild lawsuit.

Rothschild has sued Samsung, Apple and LG Electronics for their smartphone technology, among others. By one tally of companies that hold patents but do not produce goods, Rothschild was the most litigious patent owner in 2015. That survey was the work of RPX Corp., a San Francisco company that buys patents to prevent tech clients from getting sued.

Three days before filing its suit against GoSpotCheck, Rothschild Digital Confirmation filed a patent infringement case against software company FieldAware, which also makes mobile apps for field workers.

Talbot sees the lawsuit as a rite of passage – albeit, not one he was expecting.

“It’s super surreal,” he said. “I thought we had hit the big-time when we moved to our new office and got spa water and ice machines.”

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