Pegasus Wireless Innovation v. Verizon: Five 5G/LTE Patents Dismissed With Prejudice
Pegasus Wireless Innovation LLC filed suit against Verizon in the Eastern District of Texas asserting five wireless standard-essential patents across a portfolio of 4G/LTE and 5G devices. All of Pegasus’s claims were dismissed with prejudice after 281 days, with FRAND-related counterclaims also resolved — each party bearing its own costs.
A coordinated FRAND exit: Pegasus drops five SEPs against all three major carriers
On March 12, 2025, Pegasus Wireless Innovation LLC filed infringement actions in the Eastern District of Texas against three major U.S. wireless carriers — Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile — simultaneously asserting five wireless patents: US10897720B2, US11671218B2, US10791530B2, US11569958B2, and US10925079B2. The accused products spanned a broad 4G/LTE and 5G device portfolio sold by Verizon, including Google Pixel, Motorola, Nokia, Kyocera, TCL, and Orbic handsets.
On December 18, 2025, all three parallel cases were terminated via joint motions to dismiss filed under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 41(a)(2). Pegasus’s infringement claims across all three cases were dismissed with prejudice, meaning Pegasus is permanently barred from re-filing those specific claims against AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon on these patents. The carriers’ FRAND-related counterclaims — covering breach of contract, failure to negotiate in good faith, and declaratory judgment of FRAND breach — were also dismissed with prejudice. The carriers’ noninfringement counterclaims were dismissed without prejudice, preserving their ability to raise those arguments in future proceedings.
The coordinated resolution across three simultaneous cases, each involving nearly identical procedural posture and identical dismissal terms, strongly suggests a global settlement or licensing resolution negotiated in parallel rather than serial litigation. The 281-day lifespan is notably short for complex SEP litigation in E.D. Texas. The public record does not disclose any financial terms, royalty rates, or licensing agreements, and no trial or claim construction hearing appears to have occurred. The simultaneous FRAND counterclaim dismissals with prejudice suggest the parties resolved underlying licensing obligations, though the specific terms remain confidential.
Filing to Case Dismissed in 281 days
281 days — resolved before trial in E.D. Texas, where median patent case duration is typically 2–3 years
Dismissed with prejudice: what the joint Rule 41 order means for both parties
Rule 41(a)(2) dismissal with prejudice — a final, court-ordered exit
A dismissal with prejudice under Rule 41(a)(2) is a final adjudication on the merits for claim-preclusion purposes. Pegasus cannot re-file the same infringement claims against Verizon on these five patents. The joint nature of the motion means both sides agreed to the terms, and the court’s order makes that agreement binding and permanent. This is the strongest form of voluntary dismissal available under the Federal Rules.
Permanently bars re-filingPegasus loses right to re-assert these patents against Verizon
With all of Pegasus’s claims dismissed with prejudice, Pegasus Wireless Innovation has permanently surrendered its ability to pursue infringement claims on these five SEPs against Verizon in future litigation. For a licensing-focused entity, this outcome typically reflects either a successfully executed licensing agreement — making further litigation unnecessary — or a strategic decision to resolve claims globally. The public record is silent on financial terms.
Claims extinguishedVerizon’s FRAND counterclaims settled; noninfringement preserved
Verizon’s counterclaims for breach of contract, failure to negotiate in good faith, and declaratory judgment of FRAND breach were dismissed with prejudice — suggesting the FRAND licensing dispute between the parties has been resolved. Critically, Verizon’s noninfringement counterclaims were dismissed without prejudice, meaning Verizon retains the ability to assert noninfringement defenses should Pegasus attempt any future action on related patents or in different jurisdictions.
Noninfringement argument preservedCoordinated SEP resolution signals licensing deal across all three carriers
The simultaneous dismissal with identical terms across three parallel cases — against Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile — is consistent with a global licensing resolution covering the U.S. 4G/LTE and 5G standard-essential patent portfolio. For device manufacturers and network equipment vendors in the 5G ecosystem, this pattern suggests Pegasus’s SEP portfolio has been monetised. Companies offering products on carrier networks should assess whether similar claims could be directed at their supply chain.
Global SEP resolution likelyFull party and counsel information
| Role | Name | Type | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plaintiff | Pegasus Wireless Innovation, LLC | Company | Wireless SEP licensing entity — holder of US10897720B2 and four related 4G/LTE and 5G patentsSearch in Eureka ↗ |
| Defendant | Verizon Communications, Inc. | Company | Major U.S. telecommunications carrier offering 4G/LTE and 5G network services and devicesSearch in Eureka ↗ |
| Plaintiff counsel | Andrea Leigh Fair | Attorney | Counsel for Pegasus Wireless Innovation, LLCSearch in Eureka ↗ |
| Plaintiff counsel | Corey Martin Lipschutz | Attorney | Counsel for Pegasus Wireless Innovation, LLCSearch in Eureka ↗ |
| Plaintiff counsel | Daniel J Shih | Attorney | Counsel for Pegasus Wireless Innovation, LLCSearch in Eureka ↗ |
| Plaintiff counsel | Joseph Samuel Grinstein | Attorney | Counsel for Pegasus Wireless Innovation, LLCSearch in Eureka ↗ |
| Plaintiff counsel | Kalpana Srinivasan | Attorney | Counsel for Pegasus Wireless Innovation, LLCSearch in Eureka ↗ |
| Plaintiff counsel | Max Lalon Tribble , Jr. | Attorney | Counsel for Pegasus Wireless Innovation, LLCSearch in Eureka ↗ |
| Plaintiff counsel | William Jeffrey Melsheimer | Attorney | Counsel for Pegasus Wireless Innovation, LLCSearch in Eureka ↗ |
| Plaintiff counsel | Yoonhee Gloria Park | Attorney | Counsel for Pegasus Wireless Innovation, LLCSearch in Eureka ↗ |
| Plaintiff law firm | Miller Fair Henry PLLC | Law Firm | Representing Pegasus Wireless Innovation, LLCSearch in Eureka ↗ |
| Plaintiff law firm | Susman Godfrey LLP | Law Firm | Representing Pegasus Wireless Innovation, LLCSearch in Eureka ↗ |
| Plaintiff law firm | Susman Godfrey LLP (Los Angeles) | Law Firm | Representing Pegasus Wireless Innovation, LLCSearch in Eureka ↗ |
| Plaintiff law firm | Susman Godfrey LLP (Houston) | Law Firm | Representing Pegasus Wireless Innovation, LLCSearch in Eureka ↗ |
| Defendant counsel | Deron R. Dacus | Attorney | Counsel for Verizon Communications, Inc.Search in Eureka ↗ |
| Defendant law firm | The Dacus Firm PC | Law Firm | Representing Verizon Communications, Inc.Search in Eureka ↗ |
| Presiding judge | Judge Rodney Gilstrap | Judge | Texas Eastern District CourtSearch in Eureka ↗ |
Official order — verbatim text
The court’s order grants three coordinated joint motions filed under Rule 41(a)(2), applying differentiated dismissal terms within a single order. Pegasus’s infringement claims and the carriers’ FRAND-related counterclaims are dismissed with prejudice — a dispositive outcome that forecloses re-litigation of those specific disputes. The carriers’ noninfringement counterclaims are dismissed without prejudice, a deliberate carve-out that preserves a defensive posture should Pegasus assert related patents in future proceedings. The cost-neutrality order — each party bearing its own fees — is consistent with a negotiated resolution rather than a concession by either side.
US10897720B2 and four related patents — 4G/LTE and 5G wireless standard technology
The five asserted patents — US10897720B2, US11671218B2, US10791530B2, US11569958B2, and US10925079B2 — cover wireless communication methods and systems relevant to 4G/LTE and 5G network standards. The application numbers suggest filings spanning from approximately 2019 to 2021, a period when 5G NR standardisation was being finalised. The asserted patents are consistent with standard-essential patent claims directed at physical layer communication protocols implemented across commercial handsets and network infrastructure.
For the wireless industry, SEP portfolios of this kind carry significant commercial weight because they attach to products through the standard itself — any device supporting 4G/LTE or 5G NR potentially practices the claimed methods regardless of manufacturer. The breadth of accused products (Google, Motorola, Nokia, Kyocera, TCL, Orbic) underscores that the claims, if valid and infringed, would apply across the entire carrier device ecosystem. Any company selling or distributing 5G-capable devices through U.S. carrier channels should assess exposure to this patent family.
Should you run an FTO against US10897720B2 and the Pegasus 5G SEP portfolio?
If your company develops, manufactures, or distributes 4G/LTE or 5G-capable devices — particularly those sold through U.S. carrier networks — the Pegasus wireless patent portfolio warrants a formal freedom-to-operate analysis. The accused product list in this case spans flagship smartphones to ruggedised 5G handsets, suggesting the claims are directed at standard-compliant implementations rather than narrow design choices. Device OEMs, chipset vendors, and carrier partners should evaluate whether their products practice the claimed wireless communication methods.
PatSnap Eureka’s FTO Search Agent can map the claim scope of US10897720B2 and its four related patents against your product specifications and component documentation, identify prior art that could limit enforceability, and flag related Pegasus patent family members that may not yet have been asserted. Eureka’s prosecution history analysis can surface claim amendments that define — or narrow — the scope of enforceable claims across this five-patent portfolio.
Run a freedom-to-operate analysis on US10897720B2 to assess your product’s exposure
Run FTO in Eureka →Similar 5G SEP enforcement cases in the Eastern District of Texas
Related 4G/LTE and 5G standard-essential patent cases filed in the Eastern District of Texas before Judge Gilstrap, including parallel carrier actions.
Related patent case — similar technology
Comparable case in the same technology domain. Patent holder and defendant reached resolution after proceedings.
SettledRelated infringement action — same court
Comparable Google Pixel 6 Pro-adjacent infringement action. Patent enforcement dynamics analysed in depth.
Active · District CourtRelated invalidity challenge — appellate outcome
Combined invalidity and infringement action in the same technology space. Decided after substantive proceedings.
DecidedPegasus Wireless Innovation, LLC’s broader IP enforcement history
Pegasus Wireless Innovation, LLC’s full litigation history covering prior enforcement, licensing activity, and inter partes review proceedings.
Portfolio viewWhat this case signals for the 5G SEP licensing and enforcement landscape
Coordinated parallel filings against all three major U.S. carriers, resolved simultaneously, reveal a calculated SEP monetisation strategy that IP teams should study.
Simultaneous multi-carrier filing is a high-leverage SEP enforcement tactic
Pegasus filed against Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile on the same day with the same five patents. This simultaneous multi-carrier strategy maximises licensing pressure and prevents any single carrier from waiting out the others. IP teams at network equipment vendors and device makers should model this pattern when assessing exposure to SEP assertion entities in the 5G space.
FRAND counterclaims dismissed with prejudice — the licensing dispute is closed
All three carriers raised FRAND-related counterclaims — breach of contract, failure to negotiate in good faith, and declaratory judgment. These were dismissed with prejudice alongside Pegasus’s infringement claims. This bilateral finality strongly suggests a negotiated resolution set FRAND royalty terms, though the rates are not public. Practitioners advising SEP holders or implementers should note this as a model for clean global exits.
Five-patent SEP portfolio construction: how Pegasus built enforcement leverage
The five asserted patents span two application families and multiple priority chains, covering both 4G/LTE and 5G physical layer technology. This layered portfolio structure is designed to survive inter partes review and claim construction challenges — making early settlement more commercially rational for carriers than protracted litigation. Reviewing the prosecution history of these patents may reveal claim scope relevant to other 5G implementers.
E.D. Texas Judge Gilstrap’s docket: what this dismissal pattern tells you about timing
Cases before Judge Gilstrap in the Eastern District of Texas that resolve in under 300 days without any Markman or summary judgment proceedings typically reflect pre-trial licensing resolution. Monitoring the Gilstrap docket for similar simultaneous multi-defendant filings can provide early signals of SEP enforcement campaigns before they reach the broader industry.
Pegasus v Verizon — key questions answered
All claims were dismissed with prejudice on December 18, 2025, via a joint motion under Rule 41(a)(2). Pegasus’s infringement claims and Verizon’s FRAND-related counterclaims were dismissed with prejudice. Verizon’s noninfringement counterclaims were dismissed without prejudice. Each party bears its own costs.
Pegasus asserted five patents: US10897720B2, US11671218B2, US10791530B2, US11569958B2, and US10925079B2. These patents cover wireless communication methods and systems relevant to 4G/LTE and 5G technology, and were asserted against a broad portfolio of 5G-capable devices sold by Verizon.
A dismissal with prejudice is a final adjudication for claim-preclusion purposes. Pegasus is permanently barred from re-filing the same infringement claims against Verizon based on these five patents. This is the strongest form of dismissal and cannot be reversed without extraordinary circumstances.
Yes. Verizon’s counterclaims for breach of contract, failure to negotiate in good faith, and declaratory judgment of FRAND breach were all dismissed with prejudice. However, Verizon’s counterclaims for noninfringement were dismissed without prejudice, preserving Verizon’s ability to raise those defenses in any future related proceedings.
Yes. Pegasus filed parallel cases against AT&T (Case No. 2:25-cv-00290) and T-Mobile (Case No. 2:25-cv-00289) on the same date before Judge Gilstrap in the Eastern District of Texas. All three cases were resolved simultaneously via coordinated joint motions to dismiss filed and granted on December 18, 2025, under identical terms.
Is your 5G product portfolio exposed to the Pegasus wireless SEP family?
Run an FTO analysis on US10897720B2 and the four related Pegasus patents before your next 5G product launch. PatSnap Eureka monitors new SEP assertions, IPR activity, and licensing precedents across the U.S. wireless patent landscape in real time.
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