Lockscreen IP Battle
Buzzvil, a startup based in Korea and the creator of a mobile lockscreen advertising platform, filed an Intellectual Property (IP) lawsuit against Yello Mobile, another Korean local mobile startup and operator of Coocha on Jan. 11, Buzzvil announced on Nov. 21.
Buzzvil objects to a specific feature in Coocha, a mobile commerce app of Yello Mobile, which is their lockscreen advertising platform.
A lockscreen advertising platform is a technology that allows lockscreens to connect advertisers and consumers. In April 2013, Buzzvil acquired a patent for this specific technology. Buzzvil’s flagship mobile app, Honeyscreen, features a lockscreen adverting platform and has reached over 3 million users in South Korea, and its counterpart, Lockjoy, is now the leading lockscreen advertising platform in Japan.
Buzzvil contends that Coocha’s recently rolled-out lockscreen advertising function and its reward feature is outright IP infringement.
A representative of Yello Mobile commented on this by saying, “The feature in question is already operated by a company named Cashslide prior to Buzzvil’s acquisition of the patent, which means that the lockscreen advertising feature doesn’t meet the novelty and inventiveness requirements of a patent.”