Xiaoling Che v. Schedule A Defendants: Default Judgment for Puzzle Board Design Patent
Plaintiff Xiaoling Che secured a default judgment in the Northern District of Illinois against e-commerce seller SZ YMT Trade Co., Ltd. for willful infringement of U.S. Design Patent D1,030,900 covering a puzzle board design. The court awarded $16,612.67 in total damages and attorney’s fees — with funds to be seized directly from Amazon, PayPal, and Payoneer accounts — resolving the case in just 127 days.
Design patent ambush: how a puzzle board IP claim became a swift default win
On 7 November 2024, individual plaintiff Xiaoling Che filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois against a group of anonymous e-commerce defendants identified on Schedule A — a well-established litigation format targeting overseas online marketplace sellers. The single patent at issue was U.S. Design Patent No. D1,030,900, covering the ornamental design of a puzzle board. The targeted defendant, operating under the merchant alias ‘SZ YMT Trade Co., Ltd.,’ was alleged to have sold infringing products through e-commerce storefronts, including on Amazon, targeting U.S. and Illinois consumers.
The case closed on 14 March 2025 via default judgment — entered because the defendant never appeared or answered the complaint. Judge Lindsay C. Jenkins found personal jurisdiction satisfied based on the defendant’s active targeting of Illinois consumers through interactive online storefronts. The court found willful infringement of the ‘900 Patent and awarded $5,619.02 in disgorgement of the defendant’s profits under 35 U.S.C. § 289, plus $10,993.65 in attorney’s fees under 35 U.S.C. § 285, for a total recovery of $16,612.67. The judgment is immediately enforceable.
At 127 days, the resolution timeline is notably swift and consistent with well-run Schedule A enforcement campaigns, which rely on early TRO-based asset freezes to incentivize default rather than contest. The $10,000 surety bond posted for the TRO was released back to plaintiff’s counsel at judgment. What the public record does not reveal is the defendant’s total sales volume, whether additional accounts remain to be discovered, or whether Che holds parallel enforcement actions against other Schedule A defendants who may have been dismissed earlier in the proceeding.
Filing to Default Judgment in 127 days
127 days — faster than the median Schedule A design patent default action, which typically spans 150–180 days
Default judgment granted: what the ruling means for both parties
Default judgment: allegations become facts when defendant stays silent
A default judgment under Fed. R. Civ. P. 55 is entered when a defendant fails to appear or answer. All well-pleaded allegations in the complaint are deemed admitted. Here, Judge Jenkins found willful infringement established by default, triggering not only damages but also an exceptional-case finding under 35 U.S.C. § 285 — unlocking attorney’s fees that are typically discretionary. The judgment is immediately enforceable under Fed. R. Civ. P. 62.
Willful infringement admitted by defaultFull monetary award plus permanent injunction secured without trial
Xiaoling Che obtained a permanent injunction barring all further use of the ‘900 Patent design, disgorgement of $5,619.02 in defendant’s profits under 35 U.S.C. § 289, and $10,993.65 in attorney’s fees — totalling $16,612.67. Critically, the court ordered Amazon, PayPal, and Payoneer to freeze and transfer the defendant’s restrained funds directly to plaintiff, reducing collection risk significantly. Supplemental proceedings remain available if full payment is not recovered.
$16,612.67 total recoveryPermanent injunction and asset seizure — no defence presented
SZ YMT Trade Co., Ltd. faces a permanent injunction, financial account freezes across Amazon, PayPal, and Payoneer, and a $16,612.67 money judgment enforceable immediately. By failing to appear, the defendant forfeited any opportunity to contest validity, claim design-around, or challenge damages quantum. The judgment is also a matter of public record, potentially affecting the defendant’s ability to operate under other marketplace aliases subject to supplemental proceedings.
Accounts frozen; no appeal filedSchedule A enforcement signals rising design patent risk for marketplace sellers
This case exemplifies the ‘Schedule A’ enforcement model: file broadly, obtain a TRO and asset freeze early, and allow default to do the rest. For e-commerce sellers sourcing puzzle boards, home goods, or similar consumer products, the pattern suggests that individual design patent holders are actively monitoring Amazon and similar platforms. Third-party platforms are now regular enforcement partners — receiving court orders to freeze funds within seven days — making platform compliance a live commercial risk for sellers.
E-commerce marketplace enforcement trendFull party and counsel information
| Role | Name | Type | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plaintiff | Xiaoling Che | Individual | Individual IP rights holder — holder of U.S. Design Patent D1,030,900 (puzzle board ornamental design)Search in Eureka ↗ |
| Defendant | The Individuals, Corporations, Limited Liability Companies, Partnerships, and Unincorporated Associates Identified on Schedule A | Company | SZ YMT Trade Co., Ltd. — e-commerce seller operating Amazon storefronts targeting U.S. consumersSearch in Eureka ↗ |
| Plaintiff counsel | Benjamin Adam Campbell | Attorney | Counsel for Xiaoling CheSearch in Eureka ↗ |
| Plaintiff counsel | Edward L. Bishop | Attorney | Counsel for Xiaoling CheSearch in Eureka ↗ |
| Plaintiff counsel | Nicholas S. Lee | Attorney | Counsel for Xiaoling CheSearch in Eureka ↗ |
| Plaintiff counsel | Sameeul Haque | Attorney | Counsel for Xiaoling CheSearch in Eureka ↗ |
| Plaintiff law firm | Bishop Diehl & Lee, Ltd. | Law Firm | Representing Xiaoling CheSearch in Eureka ↗ |
| Plaintiff law firm | Dickinson Wright PLLC | Law Firm | Representing Xiaoling CheSearch in Eureka ↗ |
| Presiding judge | Judge Lindsay C. Jenkins | Judge | Illinois Northern District CourtSearch in Eureka ↗ |
Official order — verbatim text
The default judgment is entered on the basis that the defendant’s failure to appear renders all complaint allegations admitted — a procedural posture that avoids any merits adjudication. The court’s willfulness finding, made under 35 U.S.C. § 284 and supported by the ‘exceptional case’ designation under § 285, is legally significant: it establishes a permanent injunction record and enables supplemental proceedings under Fed. R. Civ. P. 69. Notably, damages were calculated under § 289 (total profits from infringing article) rather than § 284 (lost profits or reasonable royalty), which is the standard election in design patent cases and typically produces a lower but more readily provable quantum.
USD1030900S — ornamental design for a puzzle board
U.S. Design Patent No. D1,030,900 (application no. 29/903,456) protects the ornamental design — the visual appearance — of a puzzle board. Unlike utility patents, design patents claim what a product looks like, not how it works. The patent was asserted in a product context covering physical puzzle boards sold through e-commerce platforms. Design patents in the consumer goods space are increasingly wielded in marketplace enforcement actions because infringement analysis is visual and straightforward to demonstrate via claim charts, as Plaintiff did in Exhibits 2–3 of the complaint.
In the competitive puzzle and tabletop accessories market, ornamental design rights are commercially significant because product appearance is a primary purchasing driver. The ‘900 Patent gives Xiaoling Che a right to exclude others from selling puzzle boards with a substantially similar appearance in the U.S. market. Given the proliferation of near-identical puzzle board designs sourced from common OEM manufacturers — particularly in Chinese e-commerce supply chains — this patent represents meaningful competitive leverage. Any seller sourcing puzzle boards from third-party manufacturers should treat this patent as an active enforcement risk.
Should you run an FTO against USD1030900S before listing puzzle board products?
Any retailer, e-commerce seller, or product developer offering puzzle boards or visually similar tabletop accessories in the U.S. market should treat U.S. Design Patent D1,030,900 as an active clearance risk. This case demonstrates that the patent holder is actively monitoring Amazon and other marketplaces and is prepared to seek TROs, asset freezes, and default judgments — all within a 127-day window. The FTO question is not hypothetical; it is a live commercial necessity for any business in this product category.
PatSnap Eureka’s FTO Search Agent allows R&D and product teams to run design patent clearance searches against D1,030,900 and identify visually similar granted design patents in the puzzle board and tabletop accessory space. Eureka can map the ornamental claim scope, surface related Schedule A enforcement actions by the same plaintiff, and flag design-around opportunities — helping your team make informed sourcing and listing decisions before a TRO lands.
Run a freedom-to-operate analysis on USD1030900S to assess your product’s exposure
Run FTO in Eureka →Similar design patent Schedule A enforcement cases in N.D. Illinois
Related Schedule A design patent infringement cases in the Northern District of Illinois involving e-commerce marketplace sellers and ornamental design claims on consumer goods.
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 Puzzle board-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.
DecidedXiaoling Che’s broader IP enforcement history
Xiaoling Che’s full litigation history covering prior enforcement, licensing activity, and inter partes review proceedings.
Portfolio viewWhat this case signals for the e-commerce design patent IP landscape
Schedule A default judgments are escalating. Design patent holders are operationalising fast TRO-to-judgment pipelines against overseas marketplace sellers.
TRO-based asset freezes are the enforcement mechanism — not litigation
In Schedule A cases like this one, the real leverage is the temporary restraining order that freezes marketplace accounts before the defendant even knows about the suit. By the time the defendant could appear, their revenue is already restrained. IP teams monitoring competitor enforcement should track TRO filings — not just final judgments — as early warning signals.
35 U.S.C. § 285 fee awards raise the stakes significantly for non-appearing defendants
The exceptional-case finding here added $10,993.65 to a base damages award of $5,619.02 — nearly doubling the total judgment. Courts in the Northern District of Illinois have shown willingness to grant § 285 fees in default design patent cases, which means the effective exposure for a non-appearing marketplace seller is substantially higher than the profit disgorgement figure alone.
Platform liability is shifting: Amazon, PayPal, Payoneer as enforcement arms
This judgment compels three major financial intermediaries to freeze and transfer funds within 7–14 days of notice. For marketplace operators and payment processors, this creates a compliance obligation that is now routine in design patent default cases. In-house counsel at platform companies should audit their Order response workflows for § 289 design patent judgments specifically.
Design patent D1,030,900 scope: how wide is the ornamental claim?
U.S. Design Patent D1,030,900 protects the specific ornamental appearance of a puzzle board. In a default posture, claim scope was never tested — the defendant admitted infringement by silence. Any competitor or seller in the puzzle board or tabletop game accessory category should conduct a formal design-around analysis against the ‘900 Patent’s claim drawings before sourcing or listing similar products.
Che v Individuals — key questions answered
The case closed on 14 March 2025 with a default judgment in favour of plaintiff Xiaoling Che. Defendant SZ YMT Trade Co., Ltd. was found liable for willful infringement of U.S. Design Patent D1,030,900. The court awarded $5,619.02 in profits disgorgement, $10,993.65 in attorney’s fees under § 285, and issued a permanent injunction. Total award: $16,612.67.
D1,030,900 (application no. 29/903,456) covers the ornamental design — the visual appearance — of a puzzle board. In this litigation, plaintiff alleged that SZ YMT Trade Co., Ltd. sold puzzle boards through Amazon storefronts that copied the protected ornamental design. The court accepted this on default, deeming infringement admitted.
The default judgment directed third-party payment processors and marketplace platforms to freeze funds in the defendant’s accounts up to the total damages awarded, then release those amounts to plaintiff within 14 days. This asset-seizure mechanism is standard in Schedule A design patent cases filed in the Northern District of Illinois, allowing plaintiffs to collect against overseas sellers who are otherwise difficult to reach.
Schedule A cases name anonymous groups of e-commerce defendants — identified only on a sealed exhibit — who are alleged to infringe a single IP right through online storefronts. The Northern District of Illinois is a preferred venue because its courts have developed efficient TRO and default judgment procedures for these cases, and because Amazon’s U.S. nexus supports jurisdiction over sellers who ship to Illinois consumers.
Yes. The judgment explicitly preserves plaintiff’s right to commence supplemental proceedings under Fed. R. Civ. P. 69 until full payment is recovered. Plaintiff may also issue citations to discover assets and serve notice on additional marketplace accounts or financial accounts identified as belonging to the defaulting defendant. Other Schedule A defendants who were not the subject of this default judgment may have been dismissed separately — the public record does not specify their status.
Protect your product line against active design patent enforcement
Design patent holders like Xiaoling Che are actively monitoring e-commerce platforms and moving quickly to TRO and default judgment. Run an FTO search on D1,030,900 and monitor Schedule A enforcement trends using PatSnap Eureka before your marketplace accounts are at risk.
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