`
`IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
`FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF TEXAS
`MARSHALL DIVISION
`
`
`
`
`
`Civil Action No. 2:19-cv-00209
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`
`Plaintiff,
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`v.
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`THE HILLMAN GROUP, INC.
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`
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`KEYME, INC.,
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`
`
`
`Defendant.
`
`
`KEYME, LLC’S MOTION TO TRANSFER VENUE TO THE
`SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK UNDER 28 U.S.C. § 1404
`
`
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`Case 2:19-cv-00209-JRG Document 14 Filed 07/25/19 Page 2 of 16 PageID #: 307
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`Table of Contents
`
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`Page
`
`
`I.
`II.
`
`III.
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`IV.
`
`
`
`
`
`B.
`C.
`
`C.
`
`D.
`
`INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................. 1
`FACTUAL BACKGROUND ............................................................................................ 2
`A.
`KeyMe’s Witnesses And Evidence Are Located In The Southern District
`Of New York.......................................................................................................... 2
`Hillman’s Key Duplication Operations Are Located in Ohio and Arizona ........... 3
`Relevant Third Party Witnesses Do Not Reside In The Eastern District Of
`Texas ...................................................................................................................... 4
`ARGUMENT ..................................................................................................................... 4
`A.
`Legal Standard ....................................................................................................... 5
`B.
`This Action Could Have Been Filed In The Southern District Of New
`York ....................................................................................................................... 5
`The Private Interest Factors Favor Transfer .......................................................... 6
`1.
`Easier Access to Sources of Proof in the Southern District of New
`York Heavily Favors Transfer. .................................................................. 6
`The Cost of Attendance for Willing Witnesses is Less in the
`Southern District of New York. ................................................................. 7
`There are No Practical Problems with Transfer. ........................................ 9
`The Availability of Compulsory Process to Secure the Attendance
`of Witnesses is Neutral. ............................................................................. 9
`The Public Interest Factors Favor Transfer ........................................................... 9
`1.
`The Southern District of New York has a Strong Interest in This
`Case. ........................................................................................................... 9
`Court Congestion in This District Favors Transfer to the Southern
`District of New York. .............................................................................. 10
`The Remaining Public Interest Factors are Neutral. ................................ 10
`3.
`CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................ 11
`
`2.
`
`3.
`4.
`
`2.
`
`-i-
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`Case 2:19-cv-00209-JRG Document 14 Filed 07/25/19 Page 3 of 16 PageID #: 308
`
`Table of Authorities
`
`
`Page
`
`Cases
`
`AGIS Software Development, LLC v. ZTE Corp.,
`No. 2:17-cv-00517-JRG, 2018 WL 4854023 (E.D. Tex. Sept. 28, 2018) .................................. 6
`
`Battee v. Ben E. Keith Co.,
`No. 17-0161, 2017 WL 1832043 (E.D. Tex. May 5, 2017)........................................................ 9
`
`Godo Kaisha IP Bridge 1 v. Xilinx, Inc.,
`No. 17-100, 2017 WL 4076052 (E.D. Tex. Sept. 14, 2017) ....................................................... 6
`
`In re Biosearch Techs., Inc.,
`452 F. App’x 986 (Fed. Cir. 2011) ............................................................................................. 7
`
`In re Genentech,
`566 F.3d 1338 (Fed. Cir. 2009)......................................................................................... 5, 7, 10
`
`In re Google,
`No. 2017-107, 2017 WL 977038 (Fed. Cir. Feb. 23, 2017) ....................................................... 8
`
`In re Hoffman-La Roche Inc.,
`587 F.3d 1333 (Fed. Cir. 2009)................................................................................................... 9
`
`In re Nintendo Co.,
`589 F.3d 1194 (Fed. Cir. 2009)............................................................................................. 7, 10
`
`In re TS Tech USA Corp.,
`551 F.3d 1315 (Fed. Cir. 2008)......................................................................................... 5, 9, 10
`
`In re Volkswagen AG (“Volkswagen I”),
`371 F.3d 201 (5th Cir. 2004) ...................................................................................................... 7
`
`In re Volkswagen of Am., Inc. (“Volkswagen II”),
`545 F.3d 304 (5th Cir. 2008) ...................................................................................................... 6
`
`On Semiconductor Corp. v. Hynix Semiconductor, Inc.,
`No. 6:09-cv-390, 2010 WL 3855520 (E.D. Tex. Sept. 30, 2010)............................................... 6
`
`Realtime Data LLC v. Teradata Operations, Inc.,
`Nos. 6:15-cv-463, 6:15-cv-470, 2016 WL 235183 (E.D. Tex. Jan. 20, 2016) ........................... 7
`
`Wireless Recognition Techs. LLC v. A9.com, Inc.,
`No. 2:10-cv-364-JRG, 2012 WL 506669 (E.D. Tex. Feb. 15, 2012) ....................................... 10
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`-i-
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`Case 2:19-cv-00209-JRG Document 14 Filed 07/25/19 Page 4 of 16 PageID #: 309
`
`Table of Contents
`(continued)
`
`Page
`
`
`Rules
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`Fed. R. Civ. P. 45(c)(1)(A) ............................................................................................................. 9
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`-ii-
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`Case 2:19-cv-00209-JRG Document 14 Filed 07/25/19 Page 5 of 16 PageID #: 310
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`
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`I.
`
`INTRODUCTION
`
`Defendant KeyMe, LLC1 (“KeyMe”) respectfully moves to transfer this action to the
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`Southern District of New York pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1404. This action should be transferred to
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`the Southern District of New York because it is clearly more convenient than the Eastern District
`
`of Texas for the parties, witnesses, and evidence likely to be presented here.
`
`KeyMe is a Delaware company with its headquarters in New York. KeyMe’s accused
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`products are key duplication kiosks, which are primarily developed and entirely operated in New
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`York. The vast majority of KeyMe employees work in KeyMe’s New York office, including
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`potential key witnesses involved in the development of KeyMe’s accused products. There are no
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`KeyMe employees, documents, or relevant witnesses in this District. Plaintiff, The Hillman
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`Group, Inc. (“Hillman”) is a Delaware corporation headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. Neither
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`Hillman nor any third party witnesses are located in this District. Hillman’s only United States
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`office is in Ohio and its “Innovation and Manufacturing Center” is located in Arizona. In addition,
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`Hillman’s only alleged connections to this District are manufacturing and distribution facilities
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`that do not relate to Hillman’s key duplication kiosks—the covered products. Also, on information
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`and belief, there are no relevant third party witnesses that reside in the Eastern District of Texas.
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`The patent-at-issue is not asserted against other defendants in the Eastern District. Thus, this action
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`should be transferred to the Southern District of New York.
`
`
`1 Plaintiff originally filed suit against “KeyMe, Inc.”; however, that entity no longer exists.
`KeyMe, Inc. was converted into KeyMe, LLC.
`
`
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`
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`Case 2:19-cv-00209-JRG Document 14 Filed 07/25/19 Page 6 of 16 PageID #: 311
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`
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`II.
`
`FACTUAL BACKGROUND
`
`A.
`
`KeyMe’s Witnesses And Evidence Are Located In The Southern District Of
`New York2
`
`KeyMe is headquartered in New York, New York, within the Southern District of New
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`York. (See Declaration of Greg Marsh (“Marsh Decl.”), filed as Exhibit A to KeyMe’s Motion to
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`Dismiss for Improper Venue, ¶ 5.) Hillman accuses KeyMe’s key duplication kiosks, including
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`the “KeyMe” or “Locksmith in a Box” kiosks (“Accused Products”). KeyMe develops, monitors,
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`and operates the Accused Products at KeyMe’s headquarters located in the Southern District of
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`New York. (Id. ¶¶ 5-6.) Key employees who work in development and operation of the Accused
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`Products are located in the Southern District of New York, including Greg Marsh and Jimmy
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`Abbott. (Id. ¶ 6.) The finance team, including any witnesses who may have testimony relevant to
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`this case, are also located in the Southern District of New York. (Id. ¶ 5.) Furthermore, virtually
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`all documentation and evidence relevant to this case are located in New York, including but not
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`limited to technical documents concerning the design and operation of the Accused Products,
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`source code concerning the Accused Products, research and development documents relating to
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`the Accused Products, corporate documents, and financial documents. (Id. ¶ 19.) Additionally,
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`KeyMe stores its electronic documentation on servers located in the New York office and on
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`Amazon Web Servers, none of which are located in this District. (Id. ¶ 20.)
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`On the other hand, KeyMe has no offices and no employees residing in the Eastern District
`
`of Texas. (Id. ¶ 21.) KeyMe’s only other office is in New Jersey, near the Southern District of
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`New York. (Id. ¶ 7.) KeyMe has approximately only five employees who do not reside in New
`
`
`2 See also KeyMe’s Motion to Dismiss for Improper Venue or, in the Alternative, to Transfer to
`the Southern District of New York filed contemporaneously with this Motion to Transfer.
`2
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`
`
`
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`Case 2:19-cv-00209-JRG Document 14 Filed 07/25/19 Page 7 of 16 PageID #: 312
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`
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`York or New Jersey, but work remotely from Illinois, Florida, Wisconsin, California, and Nevada.
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`(Id. ¶ 8.)
`
`B.
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`Hillman’s Key Duplication Operations Are Located in Ohio and Arizona
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`Hillman is a Delaware corporation with its principal place of business in Cincinnati, Ohio.
`
`(Compl. ¶ 1.) In its complaint, Hillman alleges that it has three manufacturing and distribution
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`centers located in this District. (Compl. ¶ 11.) However, Hillman’s 2019 Form 10-K only
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`discloses two facilities3 within this District, both in Tyler, Texas. (See Ex. A, Declaration of
`
`Elizabeth Shrieves (“Shrieves Decl.”) Decl. ¶ 1; Ex. B at 3 (Hillman 10-K); see also id. at 15
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`(listing three total facilities within Texas, only two of which are in the Eastern District).) These
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`two manufacturing and distribution facilities do not involve Hillman’s key duplication operations
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`and only relate to Hillman’s other product and home improvement services. (Id. at 3.)
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`Specifically, the Tyler, Texas facilities “specialize[] in manufacturing and distributing threaded
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`self-drilling fasteners, foam closure strips, and other accessories to the steel-frame, post-frame,
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`and residential building markets.” (Id.)
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`In addition, in a related litigation between Hillman and Minute Key Inc. in the Southern
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`District of Ohio in 2014, pertaining to Hillman’s key duplication operations, Hillman’s Initial
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`Disclosures identified Hillman witnesses located in Tempe, Arizona, and Cincinnati, Ohio, where
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`Hillman’s key duplication operations are run. (Ex. C, The Hillman Group, Inc. v. Minute Key Inc.,
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`No. 1:13-cv-707, Dkt. 62-15 (W.D. Ohio).) There was no mention of any employees in Texas.
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`(See generally id.) Hillman also has a subsidiary, Hillman Intermediate Holdings Corp., located
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`in New York, New York within the Southern District. (Ex. D (OneStop Report).)
`
`
`3 Hillman “leases two facilities in Tyler, Texas. The first is a 139,000 square foot facility located
`at 2329 E. Commerce Street used for manufacturing and distribution. The second is a 63,000
`square foot facility located at 6357 Reynolds Road used for offices, manufacturing and
`distribution.” (Ex. B at 15.)
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`
`
`3
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`
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`Case 2:19-cv-00209-JRG Document 14 Filed 07/25/19 Page 8 of 16 PageID #: 313
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`
`
`C.
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`Relevant Third Party Witnesses Do Not Reside In The Eastern District Of
`Texas
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`The asserted patents in this case identify two inventors, Daniel Freeman and Ari Freeman,
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`neither of whom reside in this District. The asserted patents list Daniel Freeman as residing in
`
`Calabasas, California and Ari Freeman in San Rafael, California. (U.S. Patent Nos. 8,979,446 and
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`9,914,179.) The prosecuting attorney for both asserted patents, Joseph Sauer, resides in Cleveland,
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`Ohio. (Shrieves Decl. ¶ 2; Ex. E (Joseph M. Sauer Jones Day Profile).) Finally, the original
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`assignee of both asserted patents, Minute Key Inc., is not located in this District; rather, it is
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`headquartered in Boulder, Colorado. (Shrieves Decl. ¶ 3; Ex. F (Minute Key Inc. Headquarters).)
`
`Minute Key Inc. filed a related lawsuit against KeyMe, asserting one of the same patents, in the
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`District of Minnesota in 2015. See Minute Key Inc. v. KeyMe, Inc., No. 0:15-cv-01599-JNE-KMM
`
`(D. Minn.).
`
`Another company, UniKey Technologies (“UniKey”), likely has relevant witnesses and
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`documents in this case. For example, Hillman works with UniKey to create the covered products
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`and UniKey provides phone applications that work with Hillman’s key duplication kiosks.
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`UniKey is a Florida company, headquartered in Orlando, Florida. (Shrieves Decl. ¶ 4; Ex. G
`
`(UniKey Website).)
`
`III. ARGUMENT
`
`This case should be transferred to the Southern District of New York because the action
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`could have been brought in that District, and the public and private interest factors favor the
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`Southern District of New York. Because KeyMe’s headquarters and the vast majority of
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`employees and documents are located in New York, the sources of proof are much easier to access
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`in the Southern District. Conversely, KeyMe does not have any offices, employees, or documents
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`within the Eastern District of Texas. Additionally, since the majority of witnesses with knowledge
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`4
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`Case 2:19-cv-00209-JRG Document 14 Filed 07/25/19 Page 9 of 16 PageID #: 314
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`
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`relating to the design and operation of the Accused Products reside in New York, the cost of
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`attendance for these witnesses is significantly less in the Southern District of New York as opposed
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`to this District. There is a local interest in New York in having this dispute regarding a New York-
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`based company decided in its home state. Moreover, the Southern District of New York has
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`significantly less open patent cases than this District. The other factors relating to transfer are
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`neutral. Therefore, the Southern District of New York is more convenient for both parties and
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`witnesses and this Court should transfer this case to that District pursuant to Section 1404(a).
`
`A.
`
`Legal Standard
`
`A case should be transferred to another district under 28 U.S.C. § 1404 if the case could
`
`have been brought in that district and it would be “clearly more convenient” to resolve the case
`
`there. In re Genentech, 566 F.3d 1338, 1342 (Fed. Cir. 2009). Whether another district is more
`
`convenient is determined by analyzing “private” and “public” interest factors. In re TS Tech USA
`
`Corp., 551 F.3d 1315, 1319 (Fed. Cir. 2008). The private interest factors are: “(1) the relative ease
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`of access to sources of proof; (2) the availability of compulsory process to secure the attendance
`
`of witnesses; (3) the cost of attendance for willing witnesses; and (4) all other practical problems
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`that make a trial easy, expeditious and inexpensive.” Id. The public interest factors are: “(1) the
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`administrative difficulties flowing from court congestion; (2) the local interest in having localized
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`interests decided at home; (3) the familiarity of the forum with the law that will govern the case;
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`and (4) the avoidance of unnecessary problems of conflicts of law [or in] the application of foreign
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`law.” Id.
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`B.
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`This Action Could Have Been Filed In The Southern District Of New York
`
`This action could have been brought in the Southern District of New York because that is
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`where KeyMe maintains its headquarters, conducts its business, and where it employs the majority
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`of its employees. See In re Volkswagen of Am., Inc. (“Volkswagen II”), 545 F.3d 304, 312 (5th
`
`
`
`5
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`
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`Case 2:19-cv-00209-JRG Document 14 Filed 07/25/19 Page 10 of 16 PageID #: 315
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`
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`Cir. 2008) (en banc) (holding “[t]he preliminary question under § 1404(a) is whether a civil action
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`‘might have been brought’ in the destination venue”); see also AGIS Software Development, LLC
`
`v. ZTE Corp., No. 2:17-cv-00517-JRG, 2018 WL 4854023, *5 (E.D. Tex. Sept. 28, 2018)
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`(concluding that the case could have been brought in the district where the defendants’ principal
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`place of business and office was located). Thus, whether this case should be transferred depends
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`on weighing the private and public interest factors as discussed below.
`
`C.
`
`The Private Interest Factors Favor Transfer
`
`1.
`
`Easier Access to Sources of Proof in the Southern District of New York
`Heavily Favors Transfer.
`
`The bulk of relevant documents in this case will be found in New York, which is the situs
`
`of the Accused Products’ development and operation. (Marsh Decl. ¶¶ 5-6, 18-20.) See On
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`Semiconductor Corp. v. Hynix Semiconductor, Inc., No. 6:09-cv-390, 2010 WL 3855520, *2 (E.D.
`
`Tex. Sept. 30, 2010) (This factor “turn[s] upon which party . . . will most probably have the greater
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`volume of documents relevant to the litigation and their presumed location in relation to the
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`transferee and transferor venues.”). Not surprisingly, the “bulk of relevant evidence will likely
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`come from [KeyMe] as the accused infringer.” Godo Kaisha IP Bridge 1 v. Xilinx, Inc., No. 17-
`
`100, 2017 WL 4076052, *3 (E.D. Tex. Sept. 14, 2017); see also On Semiconductor, 2010 WL
`
`3855520 at *4 (finding transfer appropriate where the “majority of [defendants’] U.S. documents
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`appear to be closer to the [transferee venue] than the Eastern District of Texas”). Specifically,
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`technical documentation relating to the design, development, and operation of the Accused
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`Products will be found in New York, along with source code, prototypes, research and
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`development documents, analytics documents, data, engineering documents, documentation
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`regarding KeyMe’s intellectual property, company records, marketing records, financial records,
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`sales records, human resources documentation, and documents regarding legal activities. (Id. ¶
`
`
`
`6
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`
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`Case 2:19-cv-00209-JRG Document 14 Filed 07/25/19 Page 11 of 16 PageID #: 316
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`
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`19.) Additionally, some of KeyMe’s servers which host electronic versions of these documents
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`are located in KeyMe’s New York office. (Id. ¶ 20.) KeyMe does not rely on any servers located
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`within the Eastern District of Texas. (Id.) Therefore, virtually all documents and evidence will be
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`found in the Southern District of New York where KeyMe’s employees live and work.
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`On the other hand, KeyMe is not aware of any relevant evidence in the Eastern District of
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`Texas. Witnesses knowledgeable about Hillman’s key duplication operations are in Ohio and
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`Arizona. (See Ex. C.) Furthermore, Hillman’s alleged ties with this District via three distribution
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`centers should be discounted because the asserted technology in this case “has no connection with
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`Texas.” In re Biosearch Techs., Inc., 452 F. App’x 986, 988 (Fed. Cir. 2011). Hillman’s two
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`manufacturing and distribution centers in Tyler, Texas do not relate to Hillman’s key duplication
`
`operations and only pertain to accessories for residential building markets; therefore, they have no
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`bearing on this litigation. (See Ex. B at 3, 15 (describing the Tyler, Texas facilities as
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`“specializ[ing] in manufacturing and distributing threaded self-drilling fasteners, foam closure
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`strips, and other accessories to the steel-frame, post-frame, and residential building markets”).) In
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`sum, KeyMe is unaware of any documentary evidence existing in this District.
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`2.
`
`The Cost of Attendance for Willing Witnesses is Less in the Southern
`District of New York.
`
`The Southern District of New York is far more convenient for the potential party witnesses,
`
`which weighs heavily in favor of transfer. In re Nintendo Co., 589 F.3d 1194, 1198 (Fed. Cir.
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`2009) (finding the “contrast in relevance, convenience, and fairness between the two venues” to
`
`be “stark”) (internal citation omitted.); see also Genentech, 566 F.3d at 1343 (“The convenience
`
`of the witnesses is probably the single most important factor in transfer analysis.”) (citation and
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`quotation marks omitted). Under the Fifth Circuit’s 100-mile rule, “[w]hen the distance between
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`an existing venue for trial of a matter and a proposed venue under § 1404(a) is more than 100
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`7
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`Case 2:19-cv-00209-JRG Document 14 Filed 07/25/19 Page 12 of 16 PageID #: 317
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`
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`miles, the factor of inconvenience to witnesses increases in direct relationship to the additional
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`distances to be traveled.” In re Volkswagen AG (“Volkswagen I”), 371 F.3d 201, 204-05 (5th Cir.
`
`2004) (per curiam); see also Realtime Data LLC v. Teradata Operations, Inc., Nos. 6:15-cv-463,
`
`6:15-cv-470, 2016 WL 235183, *5 (E.D. Tex. Jan. 20, 2016) (concluding that allowing witnesses
`
`to “remain in their home state . . . significantly minimize[s] the cost, time, and expense of travel
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`to attend trial, which is the very purpose of § 1404(a)”) (citation and internal quotation marks
`
`omitted).
`
`KeyMe’s employees with knowledge of the Accused Products’ development and operation
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`are predominantly located in New York. (Marsh Decl. ¶¶ 5-6); see also In re Google, No. 2017-
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`107, 2017 WL 977038, *3 (Fed. Cir. Feb. 23, 2017) (finding the “vast majority of [defendant’s]
`
`employees—in particular those responsible for projects relating to the accused products—work
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`and reside in” transferee district which weighed heavily in favor of transfer). Requiring these
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`witnesses to travel approximately 1,500 miles to the Eastern District of Texas would disrupt those
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`employees’ lives and KeyMe’s business. (Ex. H (Google Maps); see also Shrieves Decl. ¶ 5.)
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`KeyMe is a small company focused entirely on key duplication with only 100 total employees.
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`(Marsh Decl. ¶¶ 5, 7, 8.) If essential employees are required to travel across the country as
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`witnesses, KeyMe’s business and ability to monitor its duplication kiosks would be disrupted.
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`Hillman’s employees with knowledge about the covered products are likely to be found in
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`Cincinnati, Ohio, where Hillman maintains its principal place of business. (Compl. ¶ 1.) For these
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`witnesses, the Southern District of New York is more convenient than this District, requiring
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`Hillman employees to travel approximately 640 miles to New York versus approximately 900
`
`miles to the Eastern District of Texas. (Compare Ex. I (Google Maps) with Ex. J (Google Maps);
`
`see also Shrieves Decl. ¶¶ 6-7.) Employees of third party companies, likewise, cannot be found
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`8
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`Case 2:19-cv-00209-JRG Document 14 Filed 07/25/19 Page 13 of 16 PageID #: 318
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`
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`in this District; rather, UniKey employees are located in Florida and Minute Key employees are
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`located in Colorado. (See Exs. G and F.) Moreover, inventors of the asserted patents are in
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`California and the prosecuting attorney of those patents is located in Ohio. (See U.S. Patent Nos.
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`8,979,446 and 9,914,179.) Accordingly, this factor weighs in favor of transfer. See Genentech,
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`566 F.3d at 1345; In re TS Tech. USA Corp., 551 F.3d at 1321.
`
`3.
`
`There are No Practical Problems with Transfer.
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`KeyMe has filed this Motion to Transfer concurrently with its Motion to Dismiss for
`
`Improper Venue, thus, there is no risk of wasted work or inconsistent holdings from transfer. See
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`Battee v. Ben E. Keith Co., No. 17-0161, 2017 WL 1832043, *2 (E.D. Tex. May 5, 2017).
`
`Furthermore, discovery in this case is still in its infancy. Hillman has not separately filed any other
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`cases against any other defendants in this District pertaining to the same technology or asserted
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`patents. Therefore, there are no practical problems with transferring this case to the Southern
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`District of New York.
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`4.
`
`The Availability of Compulsory Process to Secure the Attendance of
`Witnesses is Neutral.
`
`A court may compel a non-party witness to attend depositions or trial within 100 miles
`
`from his or her residence. Fed. R. Civ. P. 45(c)(1)(A). KeyMe is not aware of any third-party
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`witnesses in this District, in Texas, or within this Court’s subpoena power. KeyMe is similarly
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`unaware of any third party witnesses located in the Southern District of New York. Thus, this
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`factor is neutral.
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`D.
`
`The Public Interest Factors Favor Transfer
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`1.
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`The Southern District of New York has a Strong Interest in This Case.
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`KeyMe’s activities related to the Accused Products are primarily located in the Southern
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`District of New York. See Part III.C.1 supra. The Accused Products were developed, and are
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`9
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`Case 2:19-cv-00209-JRG Document 14 Filed 07/25/19 Page 14 of 16 PageID #: 319
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`
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`monitored, in New York and the employees knowledgeable about the Accused Products reside in
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`or near the Southern District of New York. As a result, this case “calls into question the work and
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`reputation of several individuals residing in or near that district and who presumably conduct
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`business in that community.” In re Hoffman-La Roche Inc., 587 F.3d 1333, 1336 (Fed. Cir. 2009);
`
`see also Wireless Recognition Techs. LLC v. A9.com, Inc., No. 2:10-cv-364-JRG, 2012 WL
`
`506669, *6 (E.D. Tex. Feb. 15, 2012). Conversely, “[n]o parties, witnesses, or evidence have any
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`material connection to the venue chosen by the plaintiff.” Nintendo, 589 F.3d at 1198.
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`Additionally, the fact that KeyMe’s key duplication kiosks are placed in stores across the United
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`States, including this District, is not sufficient to establish “a meaningful connection to the
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`case . . . .” Id. This factor strongly favors transfer.
`
`2.
`
`Court Congestion in This District Favors Transfer to the Southern
`District of New York.
`
`Another factor considered in transfer analysis is “[t]he speed with which a case can come
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`to trial and be resolved.” Genentech, 566 F.3d at 1347. Regarding open patent cases, the Southern
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`District of New York has approximately 122 compared to this District’s 480 open patent cases.
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`(See Shrieves Decl. ¶ 8; Ex. K (Lex Machina).) The overall time from filing to final disposition
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`of a patent case for these two districts is similar. (See id.) Thus, this factor weighs slightly in
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`favor of transfer as well.
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`3.
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`The Remaining Public Interest Factors are Neutral.
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`The remaining public interest factors are neutral. Because this case arises under federal
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`patent law, both districts are familiar with and can apply the federal patent laws to this patent
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`infringement case. In re TS Tech USA Corp., 551 F.3d at 1320. Therefore, these remaining factors
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`are neutral.
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`Case 2:19-cv-00209-JRG Document 14 Filed 07/25/19 Page 15 of 16 PageID #: 320
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`IV. CONCLUSION
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`For the foregoing reasons, KeyMe respectfully requests that the Court transfer this action
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`to the Southern District of New York.
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`Dated: July 25, 2019
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`Respectfully submitted,
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`/s/ Deron R. Dacus
`Deron R. Dacus (Bar No. 00790553)
`The Dacus Firm, PC
`821 ESE Loop 323
`Suite 430
`Tyler, TX 75701
`Tel. 903.705.1177
`Fax 903.581.2543
`Email: ddacus@dacusfirm.com
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`Michael G. Rhodes
`Cooley LLP
`101 California Street, 5th Floor
`San Francisco, CA 94111
`Tel: 415.693.2000
`Fax: 415.693.2222
`Email: rhodesmg@cooley.com
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`Stephen R. Smith
`Cooley LLP
`1299 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Suite 700
`Washington, DC 20004
`Tel: 202.842.7800
`Fax: 202.842.7899
`Email: stephen.smith@cooley.com
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`Attorneys for Defendant KeyMe, LLC
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`Case 2:19-cv-00209-JRG Document 14 Filed 07/25/19 Page 16 of 16 PageID #: 321
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`CERTIFICATE OF CONFERENCE
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`I hereby certify that counsel for KeyMe has complied with the meet and confer
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`requirement in Local Rule CV-7(h). The personal conference required by Local Rule CV-7(h)
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`was conducted on July 24, 2019 via telephonic conference with the following participants:
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`Stephen Smith for KeyMe and Ryan Quinn and Chris Isaac for Hillman.
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`/s/ Stephen Smith
`Stephen Smith
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`CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE
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`I hereby certify that all counsel of record, who are deemed to have consented to
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`electronic service are being served on this 25 day of July, 2019, with a copy of this document via
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`the Court’s CM/ECF system per Local Rule CV-5(a)(3). Any other counsel of record will be
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`served by electronic mail, facsimile transmission and/or first class mail on this same date.
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`/s/ Deron R. Dacus
`Deron R. Dacus
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