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`UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
`
`BEFORE THE PATENT TRIAL AND APPEAL BOARD
`
`UNIFIED PATENTS INC.,
`Petitioner
`
`v.
`
`UNILOC LUXEMBOURG S.A. & UNILOC USA,
`Patent Owner
`
`
`IPR2018-00199
`Patent 7,092,671
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`PETITIONER’S REPLY TO PATENT OWNER’S RESPONSE TO
`PETITIONER’S MOTION TO SEAL (PAPER 22)
`
`

`

`IPR2018-00199
`Patent 7,092,671
`
`I.
`
`Introduction
`The competitively sensitive confidential information voluntarily produced by
`
`Petitioner Unified Patents (“Petitioner”) in good faith should be sealed. After agreeing
`
`to and accepting discovery under the Default Protective Order, Patent Owner
`
`continues in its attempt to publicly disclose that confidential information. Good cause
`
`exists to seal the confidential information in the Declaration of Kevin Jakel (Ex.
`
`1022) and Petitioner’s Reply (Paper 20). The Motion to Seal should be granted.
`
`II.
`
`Background and Procedural History
`On August 8, 2018, two months after trial was instituted in this proceeding,
`
`Patent Owner requested discovery from Petitioner related to real parties-in-interest
`
`(RPI) and privity. As evidenced by the Standard Acknowledgement executed by
`
`Patent Owner’s counsel, Mr. Brett Mangrum,1 the parties agreed to use the Board’s
`
`Default Protective Order to protect Petitioner’s confidential information. See
`
`Kamstrup A/S v. Apator Miitors APS, IPR2015-01403, Paper 18, 4 (agreement to the
`
`Default Protective Order is shown by signed Acknowledgement) (citing Fed. Reg.
`
`48,756, 48,770, app. B, §(e) (Aug. 14, 2012)).
`
`Thereafter, in reliance on the Protective Order, Petitioner provided voluntary
`
`discovery to Patent Owner on September 11, 2018. The produced documents were
`
`1 Mr. Travis Richins, who has sought to be admitted pro hac vice, also signed the
`
`Standard Acknowledgement of the Protective Order.
`
`1
`
`

`

`IPR2018-00199
`Patent 7,092,671
`
`marked “PROTECTIVE ORDER MATERIAL.” On September 21, 2018, Patent
`
`Owner filed, under seal, its Patent Owner Response including a discussion of
`
`Petitioner’s confidential business information. On that same date, without consulting
`
`with Petitioner’s counsel or otherwise giving Petitioner prior notice, Patent Owner
`
`also filed a redacted version of the Patent Owner Response (Paper 13), only partially
`
`redacting Petitioner’s confidential information. Patent Owner did not file a Motion to
`
`Seal with its Response, nor did Patent Owner’s counsel reach out to Petitioner’s
`
`counsel to request that they prepare a Motion to Seal. Petitioner subsequently filed a
`
`Motion to Seal, which Patent Owner opposed. See Papers 16 and 17.
`
`Concurrently with filing its Reply brief (Paper 20) on December 21, 2018,
`
`Petitioner also filed a Motion to seal the confidential information in both its Reply
`
`(Paper 20; Paper 21, redacted version) and in the Declaration of Kevin Jakel (Ex.
`
`1022). Patent Owner filed its Opposition on January 22, 2019. See Paper 22.
`
`III. Argument
`A. There is Good Cause to Seal Petitioner’s Confidential Information
`in the Declaration of Kevin Jakel (Exhibit 1022)
`Good cause exists to seal the confidential information in the Declaration of
`
`Kevin Jakel (Ex. 1022). See Garmin v. Cuozzo, IPR2012-00001, Paper 36 and 37
`
`C.F.R. § 42.54(a) (setting forth the good cause standard). Petitioner has filed a public
`
`version of Exhibit 1022, with confidential information properly redacted. The
`
`confidential information should be sealed.
`
`2
`
`

`

`IPR2018-00199
`Patent 7,092,671
`
`Patent Owner does not contest the confidentiality of the vast majority of the
`
`redactions in the public version of Exhibit 1022. Rather, Patent Owner only disputes
`
`that information related to the identities of various third-parties (who may or may not
`
`be members of Unified, as the case may be) is publicly available and therefore not
`
`confidential information. See Paper 22, 2, 3. Patent Owner is incorrect.
`
`As required, Petitioner included Mandatory Notices in its Petition, including a
`
`statement of related matters pertaining to U.S. Pat. 7,092,671 (the “’671 patent”). That
`
`statement listed several litigations in which Patent Owner had asserted the ’671 patent
`
`against various third parties. See Paper 2, 2. That statement of related matters does
`
`not identify any of those various third parties as members or non-members (as the case
`
`may be) of Petitioner, nor does Petitioner disclose such information anywhere else in
`
`the Petition or other papers. Thus, contrary to Patent Owner’s unsupported assertion,
`
`Petitioner has not publicly disclosed information in this proceeding relating to whether
`
`particular third parties are members or non-members of Petitioner. Petitioner has
`
`properly kept such information confidential.
`
`The information redacted in Exhibit 1022 is confidential because it relates to
`
`confidential and sensitive business practices, commercial, and financial information,
`
`trade secrets, and information regarding membership in Unified. Information relating
`
`to the identity of, and dealings with, Petitioner’s members is subject to confidentiality
`
`agreements with third parties. Additionally, the redacted information includes details
`
`3
`
`

`

`IPR2018-00199
`Patent 7,092,671
`
`of Petitioner’s closely guarded proprietary business model and methods, and sensitive
`
`financial information, the disclosure of which could give Petitioner’s rivals an unfair
`
`competitive advantage, including a roadmap on how to replicate Petitioner’s unique
`
`and valuable business model. Cf. Paper 16, 5-8.
`
`Finally, Patent Owner is incorrect that the public interest requires that
`
`Petitioner’s confidential information be made public. It is unnecessary for the
`
`unnamed entities to be identified in the Board’s analysis of Uniloc’s RPI contentions.
`
`Indeed, the Board has routinely relied, as necessary, on confidential information in a
`
`Final Written Decision while maintaining that confidential information under seal.
`
`See, e.g., Petrol. Geo-Services Inc. v. WesternGeco LLC, IPR2014-01477, Paper 71,
`
`62-68 (redacting confidential information and finding no privity between Petitioner
`
`and third party defendant in litigation). The public interest strongly favors sealing
`
`confidential information provided as voluntary discovery in reliance on a protective
`
`order, or else parties will be dissuaded from engaging in voluntary discovery out of
`
`fear that confidential information will be publicly disclosed, as would be the result if
`
`Patent Owner’s arguments here are followed.
`
`B. Good Cause Exists to Seal the Confidential Information in
`Petitioner’s Reply (Paper 20)
`Good cause exists to seal the confidential information in Petitioner’s Reply
`
`(Paper 20; public, redacted version filed as Paper 21). See Garmin and 37 C.F.R. §
`
`42.54(a). As with Exhibit 1022, Patent Owner does not contest the vast majority of
`
`4
`
`

`

`IPR2018-00199
`Patent 7,092,671
`
`redactions in the public version of Paper 21. Rather, Patent Owner repeats its same
`
`argument for Exhibit 1022 and only disputes that information related to the identities
`
`of various third parties (who may or may not be members of Unified, as the case may
`
`be) is publicly available. See Paper 22, 3. As explained above, Patent Owner is
`
`incorrect and the confidential information in Petitioner’s Reply should be sealed.
`
`Patent Owner incorrectly repeats its spurious allegation that Petitioner waived
`
`confidentiality by producing its voluntary discovery to Patent Owner’s counsel
`
`(including only counsel of record and additional counsel that counsel of record
`
`described as Patent Owner’s counsel to Petitioner’s counsel). See Paper 22, 3.
`
`Petitioner has not, nor ever has, waived confidentiality in this proceeding.
`
`Correspondence between the respective counsel of Petitioner and Patent Owner makes
`
`it clear that Petitioner maintained confidentiality of its confidential information.
`
`Petitioner, in reliance on the agreed-to Default Protective Order, confidentially
`
`provided documents to Patent Owner’s counsel, clearly indicating and designating the
`
`provided documents as “Protective Order Material.” Patent Owner’s counsel was
`
`therefore on notice as to the confidential nature of the documents and that the
`
`documents were produced under the terms of the Protective Order.
`
`Accordingly, the Motion to Seal should be granted.
`
`Unified Patents Inc.
`By:/David L. Cavanaugh/
`David L. Cavanaugh, Registration No. 36,476
`
`5
`
`

`

`IPR2018-00199
`Patent 7,092,671
`
`CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE
`
`I hereby certify that on February 22, 2019, I caused a true and correct copy
`of each of the following to be served via electronic mail to the attorneys of record
`at the following email addresses:
`• Petitioner’s Reply to Patent Owner’s Response to Petitioner’s
`Motion to Seal
`Ryan Loveless
`Brett Mangrum
`James Etheridge
`Jeffrey Huang
`Travis Richins (pro hac vice pending)
`Etheridge Law Group
`2600 E. Southlake Blvd., Ste. 120-324
`Southlake, TX 76092
`
`Sean D. Burdick
`Uniloc USA, Inc.
`7160 Dallas Parkway, Ste. 380
`Plano, TX 75024
`
`Emails:
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`ryan@etheridgelaw.com
`brett@etheridgelaw.com
`jim@etheridgelaw.com
`jeff@etheridgelaw.com
`travis@etheridgelaw.com
`sean.burdick@unilocusa.com
`Respectfully submitted,
`
`/ Jonathan E Robe /
`Jonathan E. Robe, Reg. No. 76,033
`WILMER CUTLER PICKERING HALE
`AND DORR LLP
`1875 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
`Washington, DC 20006
`Tel: (202) 663-6000
`Fax: (202) 663-6363
`i
`
`
`
`

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