Context: Headwater LLC was founded in 2008 by Dr. Gregory Raleigh, a scientist with over 25 years of experience in networking, cloud software, consumer services, wireless and military systems. The company mainly focuses on developing mobile operating systems and cloud technology. Google’s Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) is a cross-platform messaging solution that allows users to notify client apps that new emails or other data is available to sync – the messages are chiefly used to drive user re-engagement and retention.
What’s new: Headwater has sued five different companies (all of which appear to be FCM customers) for allegedly infringing three of its cloud messaging-related patents in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas: ride-hailing platform Uber, game makers Tencent and Supercell (an almost wholly-owned subsidiary of Tencent), and retailers Walmart and Target.
Direct impact and wider ramifications: The ‘117 patent was also asserted in Headwater’s two-year dispute against Samsung, which spanned the Eastern District of Texas and the Unified Patent Court (UPC), and was settled last week (September 15, 2025 ip fray article). While the UPC granted both of Samsung’s counterclaims for revocation, Headwater emerged victorious in the Eastern District of Texas prong of the case, after a jury found that all asserted patents were valid and infringed, awarding the plaintiff over $278 million in damages (April 25, 2025 jury verdict). Headwater will likely be hoping for a similar outcome in this new enforcement campaign.
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Counsel
Headwater is being represented by a team at Russ August & Kabat: Marc Fenster, Reza Mirzaie, Brian Ledahl, Ben Wang, Paul Kroeger, Neil A. Rubin, Kristopher Davis, James S. Tsuei, Philip Wang, James Pickens, James Milkey, Jason M. Wietholter, and Qi Peter Tong. Most of the team also represented Headwater in its suit against Samsung.