The Popular Discord Platform Has Been Targeted by a Patent Troll, Sued for Patent Infringement Claims

Last week brought bad news for gaming fans of the popular messaging platform, Discord.  In a case filed on February 26, 2021, patent troll, Coretek Licensing, LLC. sued Discord, Inc., the company behind their popular eponymous messaging platform, Discord.  In the lawsuit, Coretek alleges that the Discord platform has infringed upon multiple patents they own, specifically patents that cover wireless networking technology.

Discord Platform Popularity

While most of the general public may not be familiar with the Discord name, Discord, Inc. has been around since 2015, and became famous due to the popularity of their messaging platform service, which has become an integral part of the video-gaming world.  For the tech-savvy, the Discord platform is a must-have because its services include direct messaging, group messaging, video streaming, forum-like message channels, and voice channels—all for free.  The development staff behind the Discord platform is also extremely active, known for consistently rolling out new features and platform updates often.  Discord also allows users to create their own servers for free, which has become a must-have for serious Twitch streamers or any other gamers who want to create an online community where players can gather, message, and voice-chat for free.  

Discord Platform Targeted by Patent Troll

Understandably, with Discord’s continued popularity, patent infringement issues have predictably arisen. Particularly, Coretek claims that the Discord platform has infringed upon U.S. Patent Nos. 8,861,512; 9,173,154; 9,369,575; and 9,591,551.  More specifically, Coretek alleges that the Discord service infringes its patents by using a wireless link, such as a cellular link or a Wi-Fi signal, to communicate with its main Discord servers.  Moreover, because the Discord application also uses similar, wireless technology to download and upload its data, Coretek alleges that Discord infringes upon multiple other patents that Coretek also owns.  As such, Coretek has asked the court for a permanent injunction against the Discord platform while also seeking damages, fees, costs, and post-judgment interest.

As a result, if Coretek is successful in its claims, this could spell big trouble for the popular messaging platform, which supplies its services for free.  On the other hand, with Discord being as popular as it is in the technology sector, this case could potentially reprise anti-patent troll sentiment again, which has died down in the wake of coronavirus.

Key Takeaways on Discord’s Legal Issues 

Popular Discord platform for messaging has found itself the subject of multiple patent infringement claims brought against it by Coretek Licensing, LLC.  Specifically, Coretek alleges:

• that Discord infringes upon multiple wireless technology patents held by Coretek;

• Discord should be subjected to a permanent injunction; and

• that Coretek should be entitled to significant damages, fees, costs, and post-judgment interest.

For more information on patent infringement, see our Intellectual Property Litigation and Industry Focused Legal Solutions pages.

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