throbber
Case 1:16-cv-00830-RGA Document 33 Filed 08/04/17 Page 1 of 16 PageID #: 2270
`
`IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
`FOR THE DISTRICT OF DELAWARE
`
`
`
`SIPCO, LLC and IP CO., LLC d/b/a INTUS
`IQ,
`
`
`
`
`
`
`Plaintiffs,
`
`v.
`
`
`
`
`STREETLINE, INC., KAPSCH
`TRAFFICCOM HOLDING CORP., and
`KAPSCH TRAFFICCOM U.S. CORP.
`
`
`Defendants.
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
` C.A. No. 16-830-RGA
`
`))))))))))))))
`
`
`REPLY BRIEF IN SUPPORT OF DEFENDANTS’
`MOTION TO DISMISS IN PART PLAINTIFFS’ SECOND AMENDED COMPLAINT
`PURSUANT TO FEDERAL RULE OF CIVIL PROCEDURE 12(b)(6)
`
`
`
`ROSS ARONSTAM & MORITZ LLP
`Benjamin J. Schladweiler (#4601)
`100 S. West Street, Suite 400
`Wilmington, DE 19801
`(302) 576-1600
`bschladweiler@ramllp.com
`
`Counsel for Defendants Streetline, Inc. and
`Kapsch TrafficCom Holding Corp.
`
`
`
`Of Counsel:
`
`Pierre R. Yanney
`Stephen E. Underwood
`STROOCK & STROOCK & LAVAN LLP
`180 Maiden Lane
`New York, NY 10038
`(212) 806-5400
`pyanney@stroock.com
`sunderwood@stroock.com
`
`
`Dated: August 4, 2017
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`

`

`Case 1:16-cv-00830-RGA Document 33 Filed 08/04/17 Page 2 of 16 PageID #: 2271
`
`TABLE OF CONTENTS
`
`I.
`
`INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................. 1
`
`II. ARGUMENT .......................................................................................................................... 1
`
`A.
`
` The SAC Fails to State a Claim for Direct Infringement by Kapsch .................................. 1
`
`1. The SAC Fails to State A Claim Against Kapsch for Infringement by
`
`Offering to Sell ............................................................................................................... 1
`
`2. The SAC Fails to State a Claim Against Kapsch for Infringement by Sale ................... 4
`
` The SAC Fails to State a Claim for Induced Infringement ................................................. 5
`B.
`
`1. The SAC Does Not Adequately Allege Infringement by “Governmental Entities” ....... 5
`
`2. The SAC Fails to Allege the Required Mental State for Induced Infringement ............. 8
`
`3. The SAC Fails to State a Claim for Inducement Against the Kapsch Defendants ......... 9
`
`C.
` Dismissal With Prejudice Is Proper .................................................................................. 10
`
`
`
`
`
`-i-
`
`

`

`Case 1:16-cv-00830-RGA Document 33 Filed 08/04/17 Page 3 of 16 PageID #: 2272
`
`TABLE OF AUTHORITIES
`
`Cases
`
`
`
`Page(s)
`
`Apeldyn Corp. v. Sony Corp.,
`852 F. Supp. 2d 568 (D. Del. 2012) .......................................................................................8, 9
`
`Collabo Innovations, Inc. v. Omnivision Techs., Inc.,
`No. 16-197-SLR-SRF, 2017 WL 374484 (D. Del. Jan. 25, 2017) ............................................8
`
`e-LYNXX Corp. v. InnerWorkings, Inc.,
`No. 1-10-cv-02535, 2011 WL 3608642 (M.D. Pa. July 26, 2011) ............................................6
`
`Indag GmbH & Co. v. IMA S.P.A,
`150 F. Supp. 3d 946 (N.D. Ill. 2015) .........................................................................................4
`
`Kaneka Corp. v. SKC Kolon PI, Inc.,
`198 F. Supp. 3d 1089 (C.D. Cal. 2016) .................................................................................6, 7
`
`M2M Sols. LLC v. Telit Commc'ns PLC,
`No. CV 14-1103- RGA, 2015 WL 4640400 (D. Del. Aug. 5, 2015).........................................6
`
`MEMC Elec. Materials, Inc. v. Mitsubishi Materials Silicon Corp.,
`420 F.3d 1369 (Fed. Cir. 2005)..................................................................................................3
`
`Nexeon Ltd. v. Eaglepicher Techs., LLC,
`No. 15-955-RGA-MPT, 2016 WL 4045474 (D. Del. July 26, 2016) ......................................10
`
`NTP, Inc. v. Research In Motion, Ltd.,
`418 F.3d 1282 (Fed. Cir. 2005)..............................................................................................4, 5
`
`Power Integrations, Inc. v. Fairchild Semiconductor Int’l, Inc.,
`843 F.3d 1315 (Fed. Cir. 2016)........................................................................................5, 9, 10
`
`Rotec Indus., Inc. v. Mitsubishi Corp.,
`215 F.3d 1246 (Fed. Cir. 2000)..............................................................................................2, 3
`
`Smith v. Garlock Equip. Co.,
`658 F. App'x 1017 (Fed. Cir. 2016) ...........................................................................................4
`
`Walker Digital, LLC v. Facebook, Inc.,
`852 F. Supp. 2d 559 (D. Del. 2012) ...........................................................................................8
`
`Wing Shing Prod. (BVI), Ltd. v. Simatelex Manufactory Co.,
`479 F. Supp. 2d 388 (S.D.N.Y. 2007) ....................................................................................6, 7
`
`
`
`-ii-
`
`

`

`Case 1:16-cv-00830-RGA Document 33 Filed 08/04/17 Page 4 of 16 PageID #: 2273
`
`Statutes
`
`35 U.S.C. § 271(a) ...................................................................................................................2, 3, 4
`
`Other Authorities
`
`Fed. R. Civ. P. 8 ...........................................................................................................................8, 9
`
`Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(b)(6)....................................................................................................................3
`
`
`
`
`
`-iii-
`
`

`

`Case 1:16-cv-00830-RGA Document 33 Filed 08/04/17 Page 5 of 16 PageID #: 2274
`
`I.
`
`INTRODUCTION
`
`SIPCO and IPCO (herein, “SIPCO”) allege that their SAC states a claim for direct
`
`infringement against the Kapsch Defendants, because it shows they have “sold” and “offered for
`
`sale” the accused systems. See D.I. 32 at 7-10. However, the only evidence of these alleged
`
`“sales” and “offers” is a one-page printout from a purported Kapsch website. Id.; see also D.I.
`
`25, ¶ 23. As shown in Section II.A infra, SIPCO’s citation to this website falls far short of stating
`
`a “plausible claim” that the Kapsch Defendants have directly infringed the Patents-in-Suit.
`
`Furthermore, as shown in Section II.B infra, the indirect infringement allegations against
`
`all Defendants should be dismissed, because: (i) the SAC fails to adequately identify anyone who
`
`allegedly committed direct infringement; and (ii) the SAC fails to state a plausible claim that any
`
`Defendant had the required state of mind when it committed any act of inducement.
`
`Finally, as shown in Section II.C infra, these allegations should be dismissed with
`
`prejudice, because SIPCO had ample opportunity to cure its complaint, but failed to do so.
`
`II.
`
`ARGUMENT
` The SAC Fails to State a Claim for Direct Infringement by Kapsch
`
`A.
`
`In its Brief, SIPCO disavows any argument that the Kapsch Defendants are liable under a
`
`“piercing the corporate veil” theory. See D.I. 32 at 3. Thus, the only way the SAC could state a
`
`claim for direct infringement against the Kapsch Defendants is by alleging sufficient facts to
`
`show that the Kapsch Defendants themselves have sold/offered the accused systems. It does not.
`
`1. The SAC Fails to State A Claim Against Kapsch for Infringement by Offering to Sell
`
`The only evidence that SIPCO cites to show that the Kapsch Defendants have “offered”
`
`the accused systems for sale is the three-word phrase “our offerings include,” which appears in
`
`the website screenshot at ¶ 23 of the SAC. Because the website has the word “Kapsch” in its
`
`header, SIPCO interprets “our offerings” to mean “Kapsch’s offerings” and treats this three-word
`
`
`
`1
`
`

`

`Case 1:16-cv-00830-RGA Document 33 Filed 08/04/17 Page 6 of 16 PageID #: 2275
`
`phrase as evidence that Kapsch itself is selling the accused systems. D.I. 32 at 7-9. SIPCO further
`
`argues that a reasonable reader of the website could conclude that Kapsch Holding or Kapsch US
`
`is the entity making “offers to sell,” as opposed to Streetline, because (according to SIPCO) “the
`
`website does not say anything that suggests that Kapsch was sending customers to Streetline.”
`
`See D.I. 32 at 8-9. This totally misrepresents the contents of the website.
`
`The cited website, which is still active,1 contains only one hyperlink--the orange-
`
`highlighted word “Streetline”2, which directs users
`
`to Streetline’s home page,
`
`www.streetline.com. Thus, contrary to what SIPCO asserts, the cited web page does redirect
`
`users to Streetline. In fact, the link to Streetline’s homepage is the only interactive portion of the
`
`quoted web page. If a user is interested in buying the “Smart Parking” products described on the
`
`web page, the only option is to go to Streetline’s webpage.
`
`SIPCO focuses on the word “offering,” and equates it with “offer to sell” as used in the
`
`direct infringement statute, 35 U.S.C. § 271(a). D.I. 32 at 7-9. However, in context, it is clear
`
`that “offering” is used in its colloquial sense of “something presented for inspection or sale.”3
`
`The term “offer for sale” in § 271(a), by contrast, has a particular meaning. Specifically,
`
`the Federal Circuit has held that “‘offer to sell’ [in Section 271(a)] is to be interpreted according
`
`to its ordinary meaning in contract law.” Rotec Indus., Inc. v. Mitsubishi Corp., 215 F.3d 1246,
`
`1255 (Fed. Cir. 2000) (emphasis added). Thus, “offers for sale” under § 271(a) are merely those
`
`
`1 The URL is https://www.kapsch.net/us/ktc/Portfolio/Intelligent-Mobility-Solutions/Smart-
`Urban-Mobility/Smart-Parking. See D.I. 25, ¶ 23. To the best of Defendants’ knowledge, this
`website has not been modified since it was cited by SIPCO in the FAC or the SAC.
`
` 2
`
` This discussion of “Streetline,” of course, directly disproves SIPCO’s repeated assertion that
`“Streetline is not mentioned in the website.” See, e.g., D.I. 32 at 9, 16-17.
`
` 3
`
` offering. (n.d.) Random House Kernerman Webster’s College Dictionary. (2010). Retrieved
`August 2 2017 from http://www.thefreedictionary.com/offering.
`
`
`
`
`2
`
`

`

`Case 1:16-cv-00830-RGA Document 33 Filed 08/04/17 Page 7 of 16 PageID #: 2276
`
`words and conduct that qualify as “offers for sale” under traditional contract principles. Id.
`
`Under those principles, a party makes an “offer for sale” only if he “communicate[s] a
`
`‘manifestation of willingness to enter into a bargain, so made as to justify another person in
`
`understanding that his assent to that bargain is invited and will conclude it.” Rotec, 215 F.3d at
`
`1257 (Fed. Cir. 2000) (quoting Rest. (2nd) of Contracts, § 24).
`
`The quoted Kapsch website does not include any “manifestation of willingness” on the
`
`part of Kapsch to “enter a bargain.” It does not include any of the terms of such a bargain, such
`
`as the name of the products to be sold, the quantities to be sold, or the price. No reasonable
`
`reader of the website would be justified in thinking he could contact the Kapsch Defendants, say
`
`“I accept,” and thus create a binding contract for sale. In short - the fact that the website uses the
`
`word “offering” is irrelevant, because there is no evidence of a legal offer to sell under § 271(a).
`
`SIPCO objects to Defendants’ citation of MEMC Elec. Materials, Inc. v. Mitsubishi
`
`Materials Silicon Corp., 420 F.3d 1369, 1376 (Fed. Cir. 2005).4 According to SIPCO, that case
`
`is inapposite because it was a decision on summary judgment, whereas this case is at the
`
`pleading stage. See D.I. 32 at 8. However, Defendants merely cited MEMC for the general legal
`
`principle that an “offer for sale” under § 271(a) is an “offer” under traditional contract principles.
`
`See D.I. 31 at 10. On a Rule 12(b)(6) motion, the sufficiency of the complaint is viewed in terms
`
`of the substantive legal standard that governs the underlying cause of action. Thus, Defendants’
`
`citation of MEMC to supply the substantive legal standard for § 271(a) “offers” was appropriate.
`
`
`4 In MEMC, the Federal Circuit affirmed a summary judgment of no infringement by “offering to
`sell” under § 271(a), because the only alleged evidence of such “offers for sale” was the
`“transmittal of e-mails containing technical data” between the alleged offeror and offeree, but
`those e-mails “d[id] not contain any price terms.” MEMC, 420 F.3d at 1376. The Federal Circuit
`held that, because the e-mails lacked price terms, they “cannot be construed as an ‘offer’ which
`[offeree] could make into a binding contract by simple acceptance.” Id. Here, the cited Kapsch
`website also lacks any price terms; thus, per MEMC, it cannot be an infringing offer for sale.
`
`
`
`3
`
`

`

`Case 1:16-cv-00830-RGA Document 33 Filed 08/04/17 Page 8 of 16 PageID #: 2277
`
`Meanwhile, the few cases that have addressed the adequacy of “offer for sale” allegations
`
`since the abrogation of Form 18 confirm that SIPCO’s complaint is inadequate. In Indag GmbH
`
`& Co. v. IMA S.P.A, 150 F. Supp. 3d 946 (N.D. Ill. 2015), the complaint alleged that: (i)
`
`Defendant sent a representative to a trade show; (ii) the representative had discussions with a
`
`customer about buying the machine; and (iii) the general price of the machine (“1 million euro”
`
`to “4 million euro”) was discussed. See id. at 966-970. Nonetheless, the court found that the
`
`complaint failed to state a claim, because it showed only “a proposed loose agreement between
`
`the parties that did not contain specific disclosure of a product or a [specific] price.” Id. at 967.
`
`Here, the only evidence of an “offer for sale” is the non-interactive Kapsch website,
`
`which includes no product details and no price. This falls far short of the in-person, direct
`
`discussions with a specific customer which the court found to be inadequate in Indag. Thus,
`
`clearly, SIPCO’s complaint fails to state a claim for infringement by “offering to sell.”
`
`2. The SAC Fails to State a Claim Against Kapsch for Infringement by Sale
`
`The SAC also alleges that the Kapsch Defendants have committed infringement by
`
`“selling” the accused systems. However, as discussed above, the SAC fails even to state a claim
`
`that the Kapsch Defendants have offered the accused systems for sale. As a matter of logic, since
`
`the SAC fails to state a claim that the Kapsch Defendants have even offered the accused systems
`
`for sale, it cannot state a claim that the Kapsch Defendants have actually made such sales.
`
`SIPCO objects to Defendants’ citation of NTP and Smith v. Garlock, because those cases
`
`were decided after the pleading stage. See D.I. 32 at 9-10. That objection lacks merit. NTP and
`
`Smith v. Garlock are good law to describe the substantive standard governing whether an
`
`infringing “sale” has occurred under § 271(a). At the pleading stage, that substantive standard
`
`governs whether the complaint states a “plausible” claim for relief.
`
`Under the substantive standards set forth in NTP and Smith v. Garlock, SIPCO’s
`
`
`
`4
`
`

`

`Case 1:16-cv-00830-RGA Document 33 Filed 08/04/17 Page 9 of 16 PageID #: 2278
`
`complaint must – to state a claim for infringement by sale – plausibly allege that the Kapsch
`
`Defendants have either actually delivered a unit of an accused system to a customer, or at least
`
`have actually entered a contract to do so. See NTP, Inc. v. Research In Motion, Ltd., 418 F.3d
`
`1282, 1319 (Fed. Cir. 2005). The SAC cites absolutely no facts to support either theory. Thus,
`
`the SAC fails to state a claim for infringement by sale against the Kapsch Defendants.
`
`B.
`
` The SAC Fails to State a Claim for Induced Infringement
`
`1. The SAC Does Not Adequately Allege Infringement by “Governmental Entities”
`
`SIPCO cites Power Integrations, Inc. v. Fairchild Semiconductor Int’l, Inc., 843 F.3d
`
`1315, 1335 (Fed. Cir. 2016), and other cases, for the proposition that only a “class of direct
`
`infringers” – rather than any specific, named direct infringer – must be identified. See D.I. 32 at
`
`10-12. SIPCO further alleges that the SAC adequately identifies such a “class of direct
`
`infringers” – namely, “governmental entities,” who allegedly purchase the Streetline systems. Id.
`
`SIPCO is mistaken. The phrase “governmental entities” only appears once in the SAC. It
`
`appears in Paragraph 17, which states in full: “17. Streetline provides a parking management
`
`solution to governmental entities.” D.I. 25, ¶ 17. This Paragraph never alleges that the Kapsch
`
`Defendants provide anything to “governmental entities.” Thus, it cannot provide any support for
`
`SIPCO’s claim that the Kapsch Defendants have induced infringement by “government entities.”
`
`Moreover, as to Streetline itself – although the introductory portion of the SAC alleges
`
`that Streetline supplies a “parking management solution” to “governmental entities,” the actual
`
`infringement counts of the complaint do not make this allegation. Rather, the actual counts of the
`
`complaint merely allege that the Defendants have “induc[ed] [unnamed] persons to use the
`
`patented inventions[/methods/system].” See, e.g., D.I. 25 at ¶¶ 31, 39, 40, 47, 53, etc. (emphasis
`
`added). The counts of the complaint never identify who these “persons” might be.
`
`More crucially, the SAC never suggests that the “persons” in the counts are the same
`
`
`
`5
`
`

`

`Case 1:16-cv-00830-RGA Document 33 Filed 08/04/17 Page 10 of 16 PageID #: 2279
`
`“governmental entities” identified in Paragraph 17. Indeed – because SIPCO chose to use the
`
`broader language “persons” in the counts of the Complaint, it must be assumed that they
`
`intended the counts to cover something other than just “governmental entities.” However, the
`
`SAC gives no indication of who the cited “persons” might be. If a “complaint fails to make even
`
`a general identification of the alleged direct infringers,” it should be dismissed. e-LYNXX Corp.
`
`v. InnerWorkings, Inc.5, 2011 WL 3608642, at *6 (M.D. Pa. July 26, 2011). SIPCO’s complaint
`
`fails to make such a general identification. Thus, per e-LYNXX, it must be dismissed.
`
`SIPCO alleges that the “persons” identified in the counts of the complaint “had been
`
`specifically identified as being [the] governmental entities” described in Paragraph 17. See D.I.
`
`32 at 12. That is incorrect. Nothing in the SAC itself connects the “persons” in the counts to the
`
`“governmental entities” in Paragraph 17. It is only SIPCO’s Brief that makes this connection.
`
`However, "[i]t is axiomatic that the complaint may not be amended by the briefs in opposition to
`
`a motion to dismiss." M2M Sols. LLC v. Telit Commc'ns PLC, No. CV 14-1103- RGA, 2015 WL
`
`4640400 at *3 (D. Del. 2015). Thus, the statements in SIPCO’s Brief are of no moment.
`
`In support of its position that the SAC adequately identifies the direct infringers, SIPCO
`
`cites Kaneka Corp. v. SKC Kolon PI, Inc., 198 F. Supp. 3d 1089, 1109 (C.D. Cal. 2016).
`
`However, that case had nothing to do with the adequacy of proof or pleading as to the identity of
`
`the direct infringers. Id. at 1103. Rather, it was about the adequacy of defendant’s knowledge of
`
`infringement. Thus, Kaneka in irrelevant to the issue for which it is cited.
`
`SIPCO also cites Wing Shing Prod. (BVI), Ltd. v. Simatelex Manufactory Co., 479 F.
`
`
`5 SIPCO alleges that Defendants – citing e-LYNXX – conceded that “it is sufficient to identify
`‘customers’ as the parties who were induced.” See D.I. 32 at 12. Defendants made no such
`concession. Rather, Defendants noted that certain cases hold that, typically, it is sufficient to
`identify Defendants’ “customers” as the alleged direct infringers. See D.I. 31 at 12. However, as
`Defendants pointed out in the same paragraph, the complaint must give some “general
`identification” of who the direct infringers are. Id. The SAC fails even that lenient standard.
`
`
`
`6
`
`

`

`Case 1:16-cv-00830-RGA Document 33 Filed 08/04/17 Page 11 of 16 PageID #: 2280
`
`Supp. 2d 388, 411 (S.D.N.Y. 2007). See D.I. 32 at 11. However, that case also had nothing to do
`
`with the adequacy of proof as to the identity of the direct infringers. Rather, it was about whether
`
`the defendant had knowledge that its products would be sold in the United States. See id. Thus,
`
`like Kaneka, Wing Shing is irrelevant to the issue for which it is cited.
`
`Finally, SIPCO asserts that it has identified two specific direct infringers, i.e., the “City
`
`of Ocala” and “Redwood City.” See D.I. 32 at 11. The only evidence of this, however, are certain
`
`oblique references in the claim charts to an alleged “Agreement dated December 18, 2014
`
`between the City of Ocala and Streetline,” and an alleged “Order Form for Redwood City, dated
`
`August 27 2014.” See D.I. 26, Exh. 12 at 13-14. Since the agreements themselves are not
`
`attached to the Complaint, it is impossible to know whether these alleged “Agreements” and
`
`“Order Forms” were ever actually consummated, and if so, whether the “Ocala” and “Redwood
`
`City” entities actually performed any acts according to them.
`
`However, even assuming that these were consummated sales contracts between Streetline
`
`(not the Kapsch Defendants) and the cities, these alleged agreements still cannot give rise to
`
`liability for induced infringement. That is so because SIPCO is limiting its demand for damages
`
`to activities occurring after the filing of the original complaint. See D.I. 32 at 14 (“Plaintiffs have
`
`not demanded damages for infringement based on inducement prior to the filing of the original
`
`complaint.”) Here, the original complaint was filed on September 19, 2016. However, the two
`
`alleged “sales” – to the Cities of Ocala and Redwood – are alleged to have occurred in 2014 –
`
`two years before the filing of the original complaint. Thus, the acts of entering into those
`
`contracts cannot support liability for indirect infringement, alleged to have occurred years later.
`
`Moreover, the SAC does not allege any facts to suggest that Defendants committed any further
`
`acts, after the filing of the original complaint, to induce Ocala, Redwood or anyone else to
`
`
`
`7
`
`

`

`Case 1:16-cv-00830-RGA Document 33 Filed 08/04/17 Page 12 of 16 PageID #: 2281
`
`commit direct infringement. Thus, the SAC fails to state a claim for induced infringement.
`
`2. The SAC Fails to Allege the Required Mental State for Induced Infringement
`
`SIPCO argues that, to adequately plead the required mental state for induced
`
`infringement, all it needs to do is limit its inducement claim to post-filing conduct. See D.I. 32 at
`
`13-15. The only case that SIPCO cites for this proposition is Collabo Innovations, Inc. v.
`
`Omnivision Techs., Inc., 2017 WL 374484 at *9 (D. Del. 2017). In Collabo, the court noted that
`
`recent Delaware cases have permitted plaintiffs to assert indirect infringement, even if the
`
`Defendants’ only alleged knowledge of the Patents-in-Suit came from the filing of the complaint.
`
`Id., 2017 WL 374484 at * 9. However, the court noted, such claims may only be allowed to the
`
`extent that they solely seek relief for acts that occurred after the filing of the Complaint. Id. Here,
`
`the SAC fails to limit the relief sought to acts occurring only after the date of the SAC, since it
`
`alleges that Defendants “have induced and are inducing” infringement. See D.I. 25, ¶ 26.
`
`The court’s ruling in Collabo relied primarily on two earlier Delaware cases: (i) Apeldyn
`
`Corp. v. Sony Corp., 852 F. Supp. 2d 568, 573–74 (D. Del. 2012); and (ii) Walker Digital, LLC
`
`v. Facebook, Inc., 852 F. Supp. 2d 559, 565 (D. Del. 2012). The rationale of both cases was that
`
`“if a complaint sufficiently identifies, for purposes of Rule 8, the patent at issue and the allegedly
`
`infringing conduct, a defendant's receipt of the complaint and decision to continue its conduct
`
`despite the knowledge gleaned from the complaint satisfies the requirements of Global–Tech.”
`
`Apeldyn, 852 F. Supp. 2d at 573; Walker Digital, 852 F. Supp. 2d at 565 (same). In other words,
`
`this Court found that if the original complaint adequately alleges direct infringement under the
`
`requirements of Rule 8, then the complaint puts Defendants on notice both of the Patents-in-Suit
`
`and of the fact that the induced acts might constitute direct infringement. Id.
`
`Here, the Court has already found that the original Complaint did not adequately allege
`
`direct infringement under Rule 8. See D.I. 15. The Court has also found that the FAC failed to
`
`
`
`8
`
`

`

`Case 1:16-cv-00830-RGA Document 33 Filed 08/04/17 Page 13 of 16 PageID #: 2282
`
`state a claim for direct infringement under Rule 8. See D.I. 24. Accordingly, SIPCO did not
`
`adequately state a claim for direct infringement under Rule 8 – if at all – until it filed the SAC
`
`(and its attendant claim charts) on June 30, 2017. As such, under Apeldyn, the SAC fails to state
`
`a claim that any Defendant had the required mental state until – if at all - June 30, 2017.
`
`However, as discussed in Section II.B.1 supra, the only colorable acts of “inducement”
`
`that are identified in the SAC are the alleged sales to Ocala and Redwood – which took place in
`
`2014, three years before the filing of the SAC. Thus, the SAC plainly fails to allege facts
`
`showing that any Defendant had the required state of mind when it committed an inducing act.
`
`As such, the SAC fails to state a claim for induced infringement against any Defendant. 6
`
`3. The SAC Fails to State a Claim for Inducement Against the Kapsch Defendants
`
`The only alleged “inducing act” by the Kapsch Defendants is the publication of the web
`
`page quoted at Paragraph 23 of the SAC. See D.I. 32 at 15-16. SIPCO alleges that the publication
`
`of this web page constitutes a legally-cognizable “inducing act,” because – allegedly – “[a]ny
`
`advertisement of an accused product or method may be sufficient to support an induced
`
`infringement pleading.” Id. (citing Power Integrations, 843 F.3d at 1335).
`
`SIPCO misstates the law. In Power Integrations, the Federal Circuit affirmed a jury’s
`
`verdict of infringement by inducement, because there was “significant . . . evidence that would
`
`allow a jury to find that Fairchild [the Defendant] took affirmative acts to induce third parties to
`
`import its products into the United States.” Id. at 1333. This included evidence that Fairchild
`
`“competed for business it knew was directed to the United States,” and “provided demonstration
`
`
`6 Moreover, to be liable for induced infringement, there must be actual “successful
`communication between the alleged inducer and the third-party direct infringer.” Power
`Integration, 843 F.3d at 1331. Here, the SAC does not allege any facts to suggest that there has
`been actual, “successful communication” between the Defendants and any direct infringer (other
`than the 2014 “Agreements” with Ocala and Redwood, which pre-dated the required mental
`state). Thus, for this additional reason, the SAC fails to state a claim for induced infringement.
`
`
`
`9
`
`

`

`Case 1:16-cv-00830-RGA Document 33 Filed 08/04/17 Page 14 of 16 PageID #: 2283
`
`boards containing the infringing controller chips to customers and potential customers in the
`
`United States.” Id. That is a far cry from the present case, where the only alleged evidence of an
`
`“inducing act” by Kapsch is the vague, non-interactive website which does nothing but refer
`
`interested customers to the Streetline website. Thus, Power Integrations is inapposite.
`
`SIPCO also cites Nexeon Ltd. v. Eaglepicher Techs., LLC, 2016 WL 4045474 at *6 (D.
`
`Del. 2016), for the proposition that “active steps ... taken to encourage direct infringement, such
`
`as advertising an infringing use” can be a legally-cognizable “inducing act.” However, in
`
`Nexeon, the Defendant did far more than just “advertise.” Rather, it also “instructed [the direct
`
`infringer] of how to manufacture and use [the accused product].” Id. (emphasis added). That is a
`
`far cry from the mere publication, on a website, of the phrase “our offerings include.” Thus,
`
`Nexeon is inapposite, and Kapsch’s purported publication of the website at Paragraph 23 of the
`
`SAC does not constitute a legally-cognizable act of “active inducement.”
`
`C.
`
` Dismissal With Prejudice Is Proper
`
`Finally, SIPCO asserts that dismissal with prejudice would be improper, because the
`
`Court has not previously ruled on the specific arguments set forth in this motion. See D.I. 17.
`
`However, SIPCO admits that they were on notice of these arguments, because they were set forth
`
`in Defendants’ prior motions to dismiss. See D.I. 32 at 3 (“Defendants’ motion and brief is
`
`basically a copy of its prior motion to dismiss.”) Since SIPCO was already on notice of these
`
`deficiencies, but deliberately chose not to correct them, dismissal with prejudice is proper.
`
`In its latest order granting Defendants’ motion to dismiss, the Court stated that SIPCO
`
`would only have one “last chance” to cure the deficiencies in their Complaint. D.I. 24 at 4. Yet,
`
`for the third time in this case, SIPCO once again chose not to correct these deficiencies. Thus,
`
`Defendants respectfully request that the indirect infringement claims against all Defendants, and
`
`the direct infringement claims against Kapsch, be dismissed with prejudice.
`
`
`
`10
`
`

`

`Case 1:16-cv-00830-RGA Document 33 Filed 08/04/17 Page 15 of 16 PageID #: 2284
`
`
`
`
`
`
`Of Counsel:
`
`Pierre R. Yanney
`Stephen E. Underwood
`STROOCK & STROOCK & LAVAN LLP
`180 Maiden Lane
`New York, NY 10038
`(212) 806-5400
`pyanney@stroock.com
`sunderwood@stroock.com
`
`
`Dated: August 4, 2017
`
`Respectfully submitted,
`
`
`
`ROSS ARONSTAM & MORITZ LLP
`
` /s/ Benjamin J. Schladweiler
`Benjamin J. Schladweiler (#4601)
`100 S. West Street, Suite 400
`Wilmington, DE 19801
`(302) 576-1600
`bschladweiler@ramllp.com
`
`Counsel for Defendants Streetline, Inc. and
`Kapsch TrafficCom Holding Corp.
`
`
`
`11
`
`

`

`Case 1:16-cv-00830-RGA Document 33 Filed 08/04/17 Page 16 of 16 PageID #: 2285
`
`CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE
`
`I, Benjamin J. Schladweiler, hereby certify that on August 4, 2017, I caused the
`
`foregoing Reply Brief in Support of Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss in Part Plaintiffs’ Second
`
`Amended Complaint Pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6) to be served via
`
`electronic mail upon the following counsel of record:
`
`George Pazuniak
`Sean T. O'Kelly
`Daniel Patrick Murray
`901 N. Market Street, Suite 1000
`Wilmington, DE 19801
`gp@del-iplaw.com
`sokelly@oeblegal.com
`dmurray@oeblegal.com
`
`Counsel for Plaintiff SIPCO, LLC and
`IP CO., LLC d/b/a INTUS IQ
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
` /s/ Benjamin J. Schladweiler
`Benjamin J. Schladweiler (#4601)
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`

This document is available on Docket Alarm but you must sign up to view it.


Or .

Accessing this document will incur an additional charge of $.

After purchase, you can access this document again without charge.

Accept $ Charge
throbber

Still Working On It

This document is taking longer than usual to download. This can happen if we need to contact the court directly to obtain the document and their servers are running slowly.

Give it another minute or two to complete, and then try the refresh button.

throbber

A few More Minutes ... Still Working

It can take up to 5 minutes for us to download a document if the court servers are running slowly.

Thank you for your continued patience.

This document could not be displayed.

We could not find this document within its docket. Please go back to the docket page and check the link. If that does not work, go back to the docket and refresh it to pull the newest information.

Your account does not support viewing this document.

You need a Paid Account to view this document. Click here to change your account type.

Your account does not support viewing this document.

Set your membership status to view this document.

With a Docket Alarm membership, you'll get a whole lot more, including:

  • Up-to-date information for this case.
  • Email alerts whenever there is an update.
  • Full text search for other cases.
  • Get email alerts whenever a new case matches your search.

Become a Member

One Moment Please

The filing “” is large (MB) and is being downloaded.

Please refresh this page in a few minutes to see if the filing has been downloaded. The filing will also be emailed to you when the download completes.

Your document is on its way!

If you do not receive the document in five minutes, contact support at support@docketalarm.com.

Sealed Document

We are unable to display this document, it may be under a court ordered seal.

If you have proper credentials to access the file, you may proceed directly to the court's system using your government issued username and password.


Access Government Site

We are redirecting you
to a mobile optimized page.





Document Unreadable or Corrupt

Refresh this Document
Go to the Docket

We are unable to display this document.

Refresh this Document
Go to the Docket