WSOU Investments v. TP-Link: LTE Router Patent Suit Dismissed With Prejudice
WSOU Investments LLC asserted US7652988B2 against TP-Link’s Archer MR400 AC1200 Wireless Dual Band 4G LTE Router in the Western District of Texas. The parties jointly moved to dismiss all claims with prejudice after more than three years of litigation, each side absorbing its own legal costs.
Three-year LTE router patent dispute ends by joint dismissal in WDTX
WSOU Investments LLC, a Luxembourg-based patent assertion entity holding former Nokia and Alcatel-Lucent patents, filed this infringement action on 31 October 2020 in the Western District of Texas (Case No. 6:20-cv-01022). The asserted patent, US7652988B2 (application no. US10/446419), was deployed against TP-Link Technologies Co., Ltd. in relation to the Archer MR400 AC1200 Wireless Dual Band 4G LTE Router — a widely distributed consumer networking product.
The case closed on 3 January 2024 when Judge Alan D. Albright granted the parties’ Joint Motion to Dismiss With Prejudice. Under the order, all claims asserted by WSOU against TP-Link are permanently extinguished, with each side bearing its own costs, expenses, and attorneys’ fees. The with-prejudice designation is legally significant: WSOU is barred from reasserting the same patent claims against TP-Link in any future proceeding.
The resolution after roughly 1,160 days — without a trial or public damages award — is consistent with a negotiated settlement or licensing arrangement reached privately, though the public record is silent on any financial terms. The mutual cost-bearing arrangement suggests neither party conceded wrongdoing and that the resolution was commercially negotiated rather than litigated to judgment. The absence of a fee-shifting order also indicates neither side successfully argued exceptional-case status under 35 U.S.C. § 285.
Filing to filing in 1159 days
Days from filing to dismissal — over 3 years in Judge Albright’s WDTX court
Full party and counsel information
| Role | Name | Type | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plaintiff | WSOU Investments, LLC | Company | Patent assertion entity — holder of US7652988B2, formerly Nokia/Alcatel-Lucent portfolioSearch in Eureka ↗ |
| Defendant | TP-Link Technologies Co., Ltd. | Company | TP-Link Technologies Co., Ltd. — global consumer networking hardware manufacturerSearch in Eureka ↗ |
| Plaintiff counsel | Raymond W. Mort , III | Attorney | Counsel for WSOU Investments, LLCSearch in Eureka ↗ |
| Defendant counsel | David M. Hoffman | Attorney | Counsel for TP-Link Technologies Co., Ltd.Search in Eureka ↗ |
| Defendant counsel | Edward J. Mayle | Attorney | Counsel for TP-Link Technologies Co., Ltd.Search in Eureka ↗ |
| Defendant counsel | Jeffrey C. Mok | Attorney | Counsel for TP-Link Technologies Co., Ltd.Search in Eureka ↗ |
| Defendant counsel | John T. Johnson | Attorney | Counsel for TP-Link Technologies Co., Ltd.Search in Eureka ↗ |
| Defendant counsel | Kristopher L. Reed | Attorney | Counsel for TP-Link Technologies Co., Ltd.Search in Eureka ↗ |
| Defendant counsel | Michael F. Autuoro | Attorney | Counsel for TP-Link Technologies Co., Ltd.Search in Eureka ↗ |
| Defendant counsel | Rishi Gupta | Attorney | Counsel for TP-Link Technologies Co., Ltd.Search in Eureka ↗ |
| Defendant counsel | Sarah Y. Kamran | Attorney | Counsel for TP-Link Technologies Co., Ltd.Search in Eureka ↗ |
| Defendant counsel | Steven D. Moore | Attorney | Counsel for TP-Link Technologies Co., Ltd.Search in Eureka ↗ |
| Defendant counsel | Wesley Ellsworth Overson, Jr | Attorney | Counsel for TP-Link Technologies Co., Ltd.Search in Eureka ↗ |
| Presiding judge | Judge Alan D Albright | Chief Judge | Texas Western District Court — Chief JudgeSearch in Eureka ↗ |
Stipulation of dismissal — official text
The order grants a joint motion to dismiss with prejudice, meaning the dismissal was consensual and mutual — neither party was found liable by a court. The with-prejudice designation permanently forecloses WSOU from reasserting these specific claims against TP-Link. The each-side-bears-own-costs provision confirms no prevailing-party determination was made, consistent with a commercially negotiated resolution. The public record does not disclose any financial terms.
US7652988B2 — Wireless LTE and Dual-Band Router Technology
US7652988B2 (application no. US10/446419) is a US utility patent originating from the Nokia and/or Alcatel-Lucent legacy portfolio, subsequently acquired and asserted by WSOU Investments LLC. The patent was asserted in the context of LTE wireless routing and dual-band networking technology, as exemplified by its application against the TP-Link Archer MR400 — a consumer 4G LTE router with AC1200 dual-band Wi-Fi. The application number prefix suggests filing in the early-to-mid 2000s, placing it firmly in the foundational era of 4G/LTE protocol development.
For the networking hardware sector, US7652988B2 represents the broader category of legacy telecom patents being monetised through assertion entities. WSOU filed numerous concurrent actions in WDTX against networking OEMs and equipment vendors, signalling that this patent — and related family members — is considered broadly applicable to LTE-capable consumer and enterprise devices. Companies selling dual-band LTE routers, CPE gateways, or mobile broadband devices in the US market face continued exposure until the patent expires or is invalidated.
Should your LTE router product line be cleared against US7652988B2?
If your company designs, manufactures, or distributes 4G LTE routers, dual-band Wi-Fi gateways, or multi-WAN CPE devices for the US market, US7652988B2 warrants attention. WSOU’s assertion against the TP-Link Archer MR400 establishes that consumer-grade LTE routers are within scope of the patent holder’s enforcement strategy. Companies that have not yet received a demand letter should not assume they are outside the assertion perimeter — WSOU’s concurrent WDTX campaigns targeted multiple OEMs simultaneously.
PatSnap Eureka’s FTO Search Agent can map the independent and dependent claims of US7652988B2 against your current product specifications, flag relevant prior art that could support an IPR petition, and monitor prosecution history for continuation filings that could extend the family’s reach. Claim monitoring alerts will notify your team if related WSOU patents are asserted against your competitors, giving you early-warning intelligence to prepare a response before litigation is filed.
Run a freedom-to-operate analysis on US7652988B2 to assess your product’s exposure
Run FTO in Eureka →Similar LTE and wireless router patent cases in WDTX and beyond
PatSnap Eureka tracks related litigation across truck body equipment, vehicle accessories, and comparable infringement actions in the Georgia district system.
What this case signals for the LTE networking IP landscape
WSOU’s WDTX campaign against networking OEMs reveals durable assertion risk for LTE/wireless router makers. Here is what to watch.
LTE router makers face persistent assertion risk from legacy telecom patents
US7652988B2 originates from the Nokia/Alcatel-Lucent portfolio — a deep reservoir of wireless infrastructure and device patents that WSOU has systematically asserted. Companies commercialising LTE and Wi-Fi router products should proactively audit freedom-to-operate against this patent family and related assets before market entry, not after receiving a complaint.
WDTX joint dismissals often mask confidential licence agreements
When a PAE and a defendant jointly dismiss with prejudice and each bears own costs, the most commercially logical inference is a private licence. For competitors of TP-Link, this matters: if TP-Link secured a licence to US7652988B2, those without one may now be higher-priority targets. Monitoring WSOU’s remaining active dockets can signal where assertion pressure is shifting.
WSOU v TP-Link — key questions answered
The case was dismissed with prejudice by joint motion on 3 January 2024. All claims asserted by WSOU Investments LLC against TP-Link Technologies Co., Ltd. were dismissed, with each side bearing its own costs, expenses, and attorneys’ fees. The dismissal permanently bars WSOU from refiling the same claims against TP-Link.
WSOU asserted US7652988B2 (application no. US10/446419), a patent from the legacy Nokia/Alcatel-Lucent portfolio relating to wireless LTE and dual-band networking technology. The patent was asserted against the TP-Link Archer MR400 AC1200 Wireless Dual Band 4G LTE Router.
A dismissal with prejudice permanently extinguishes the plaintiff’s right to bring the same claims against the same defendant in future litigation. Unlike a without-prejudice dismissal — which allows refiling — a with-prejudice order is a final resolution of those specific claims. In patent cases, it typically signals a settled or licensed dispute rather than a litigated judgment.
WSOU Investments filed dozens of concurrent patent actions in the Western District of Texas under Judge Alan D. Albright during 2020–2022. The venue was favoured by patent plaintiffs during this period due to fast scheduling orders and high trial rates. WSOU’s WDTX strategy was consistent with portfolio-level assertion against multiple networking hardware defendants simultaneously.
The case was not decided by a court judgment. It was resolved by a joint motion to dismiss with prejudice, meaning both parties agreed to end the litigation. No infringement finding or invalidity ruling was made. The each-side-bears-own-costs provision indicates no prevailing-party determination, which is consistent with a privately negotiated resolution such as a licensing agreement.
PatSnap Eureka searches patents and litigation data to answer instantly.