Sol IP, LLC, a patent-holding company, has filed two separate lawsuits against major automakers Honda Motor Co. and Volkswagen AG, accusing them of using Wi-Fi technology in their vehicles without proper authorization. Filed on August 28, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, both cases have been assigned to Judge James R. Gilstrap.
These lawsuits point to a bigger issue facing the connected vehicle industry: everyday features like Wi-Fi connectivity, wireless smartphone integration, and over-the-air software updates – now standard in modern cars – are increasingly becoming targets for patent disputes.
| Honda Case | Volkswagen Case | |
| Case Number | 2:26-cv-00764 | 2:26-cv-00766 |
| Filed | August 28, 2026 | August 28, 2026 |
| Status | Open | Open |
| Court | E.D. Texas | E.D. Texas |
| Judge | James R. Gilstrap | James R. Gilstrap |
| Type of Case | Patent Infringement (Nature of Suit 830) | Patent Infringement (Nature of Suit 830) |
| Sector | Communications | Communications |
Both cases were filed on the same day, in the same court, over the same two patents – making this look like a coordinated campaign rather than two separate, unrelated disputes.
Why This Matters
ETRI gave Sol IP the right to license its WiFi patents and to sue companies that use them without permission. If a company uses the patents without buying a license, Sol IP can take legal action – just like it did with Honda and Volkswagen.
This isn’t Sol IP’s first time going after automakers – the company has a track record of suing car manufacturers over wireless patents, including an earlier case against Ford involving 4G technology. What’s notable about these two new cases is the shift in focus: instead of targeting cellular (4G/5G) technology, Sol IP is now going after Wi-Fi patents specifically.
Who’s Involved
The Plaintiff: In both lawsuits, the company suing is Sol IP, LLC. Sol IP is what’s known as an NPE, or “non-practicing entity” – meaning it doesn’t make or sell any products itself. Instead, it owns patents and earns money by licensing them to companies that do make products, or by suing companies that use the technology without a license.
Sol IP is being represented by the law firms Nelson Bumgardner Albritton and Nelson Bumgardner Conroy, with attorneys including Brent N. Bumgardner, John P. Murphy, Timothy E. Grochocinski, and Christopher Granaghan, among others.
The Defendants: Honda Motor and Volkswagen as of now, neither company has filed an appearance through an attorney in these cases – which makes sense, since the lawsuits were only, just filed and it’s still very early in the process.
The Patents at the Heart of the Case
Both lawsuits rest on the exact same two patents:
US9900067B2 – “Method and apparatus for transmitting and receiving data in a MIMO system”
US10090894B2 – “Method and apparatus for transceiving data in a MIMO system”
Both asserted patents originated from ETRI, a major South Korean research institution. Their involvement highlights how research organizations can generate foundational communication technologies that later become valuable licensing assets across multiple industries.
Unlike traditional automotive inventions, connectivity technologies are built on standards developed outside the automotive industry. Vehicle manufacturers increasingly depend on technologies created by telecom companies, universities, and research organizations. This creates a situation where automotive companies may face patent exposure for features that consumers consider basic expectations, such as wireless connectivity and smartphone integration.
In simple terms, MIMO (Multiple-Input-Multiple-Output) is a technology that lets Wi-Fi devices send and receive data using multiple antennas at once, which makes wireless connections faster and more reliable. It’s a core part of modern Wi-Fi standards, including Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) – the version of Wi-Fi that Sol IP says Honda’s and Volkswagen’s vehicles use.
Sol IP claims that this Wi-Fi functionality powers everyday features drivers rely on, such as:
Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
In-car Wi-Fi hotspots
Over-the-air software updates
What’s Being Accused
Although both lawsuits rely on the same two patents, Sol IP frames its accusations differently for each company.
Honda: Sol IP’s complaint doesn’t call out specific Honda models. Instead, it points to the underlying Wi-Fi standard itself – IEEE 802.11ac (Wi-Fi 5) – arguing that any Honda vehicle with a device supporting that standard infringes the patents. The complaint explains that IEEE (the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) has released several versions of the 802.11 Wi-Fi standard over the years – 802.11 (1997), 802.11a/b (1999), 802.11g (2003), 802.11n (2009), and 802.11ac (2013, also known as Wi-Fi 5).
Sol IP’s position is that newer standards like 802.11ax and 802.11be are backward-compatible with 802.11ac and still carry the same features it says infringe its patents – meaning the accusation isn’t limited to older Honda hardware, but potentially extends to newer vehicles running more recent Wi-Fi generations too.
Volkswagen: Here, Sol IP is much more specific. The complaint names Volkswagen’s App-Connect feature, Wireless Apple CarPlay, and the Xpilot Central Computer Platform (model nos. MM V01, MM V02) as the accused technology. What stands out is just how broad the target list is – Sol IP isn’t going after one or two models, but roughly ten different VW vehicle lines spanning SUVs (Atlas, Atlas Cross Sport, Tiguan, Taos), sedans and hatchbacks (Jetta, Jetta GLI, Golf GTI, Golf R), and even VW’s electric lineup (ID.4, ID.Buzz).
In other words, the accusation isn’t tied to a single infotainment generation – it covers gas-powered and electric vehicles alike, suggesting Sol IP believes the same Xpilot-based infotainment platform (and the Wi-Fi connectivity behind CarPlay and App-Connect) runs across most of VW’s current U.S. lineup.
What Happens Next
Beyond the immediate litigation, these cases may indicate whether connectivity patents will become a larger enforcement area against automotive companies. If successful, similar patent holders may evaluate other manufacturers using comparable Wi-Fi-enabled vehicle platforms.
Facing a patent infringement claim like Honda or Volkswagen? Whatever the technology, GreyB’s invalidation search team can help you find prior art to challenge patent validity before litigation costs escalate. Talk to our patent search experts
