The complaint

The case is Shaoqing Lin v. The Partnerships, Unincorporated Associations Identified on Schedule A, No. 1:26-cv-26182 (S.D. Fla.), a two-count patent complaint entered on the docket September 8, 2026 (ECF No. 1). The complaint describes Lin as an individual residing in Guangdong, China, and the sole named inventor and owner of the asserted patent. It alleges the defendants are partnerships or unincorporated associations that own and operate the Amazon storefronts listed on Schedule A, which identifies 22 defendants by seller alias and storefront link, and, on information and belief, that they conceal their identities, give incomplete or false address information to Amazon, and route proceeds through offshore accounts.

The patent and claims

The complaint asserts U.S. Patent 12,465,872, Multi-Stage Synchronous Driving Mechanism and Electric Toy, issued November 11, 2025, on an application filed May 28, 2025. Count I asserts claim 1 and Count II asserts claim 14.

Claim 1 covers a multi-stage synchronous driving mechanism with a housing, a motor on the housing, a gear transmission driven by the motor, and a multi-stage execution component in which a support on the housing carries a sun gear and several planetary gears, each planetary gear paired one to one with an execution unit, so that the motor turns the sun gear, which turns the planetary gears and rotates the execution units relative to the housing. Each execution unit has an insertion post, a stop plate, and a free arm connected in sequence; the planetary gear is sleeved on the insertion post, the free arm passes through the support, the stop plate movably abuts the support, and a stop post between the insertion post and the stop plate fits a stop slot on the planetary gear. Claim 14 covers an electric toy with the mechanism of claim 1 and several light emitting parts located in the housing and correspondingly disposed in the support.

The accused products

The complaint alleges the defendants all offer identical or highly similar motorized rotating-arm toys. It says Lin had exemplars disassembled, measured, and photographed, and it charts claims 1 and 14 element by element against annotated photographs, alleging, for example, that the motor drives a gear train that turns a central sun gear and that the planetary gears drive arms that pass through the support and rotate in synchrony.

The counts and the relief sought

Both counts allege direct infringement under 35 U.S.C. 271(a), literally or under the doctrine of equivalents. Lin asks for a permanent injunction under 35 U.S.C. 283, including relief directed to online marketplaces such as Amazon; a judgment of infringement; damages of at least a reasonable royalty under 35 U.S.C. 284, enhanced up to three times for willfulness; the defendants' total profits under 35 U.S.C. 289 without duplicative recovery; attorneys' fees for an exceptional case under 35 U.S.C. 285; and costs.

The docket since filing

Lin filed an amended complaint on October 8, 2026 (ECF No. 9); the amended complaint is not available. Lin moved for service by publication on October 16 (ECF No. 12), the court entered an order on that motion on October 27 (ECF No. 13), and summonses issued on October 28, 2026 (ECF No. 15).

Lin filed a separate suit on the same patent on October 27, 2026, No. 1:26-cv-27610 (S.D. Fla.), against two named Amazon seller aliases that also appear on this Schedule A.

What to watch next

Watch for proof of service, any motion for a preliminary injunction, and appearances or defaults by Schedule A defendants. The case can end at any time, including by settlement or voluntary dismissal.