throbber
Case 2:23-cv-00083-RWS-RSP Document 42 Filed 11/10/23 Page 1 of 12 PageID #: 256
`
`IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
`FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF TEXAS
`MARSHALL DIVISION
`
`
`
`SLYDE ANALYTICS LLC,
`
`
`Plaintiff,
`
`
`
`
`SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD. and
`SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS AMERICA,
`INC.,
`
`
`v.
`
`
`
`Defendants.
`
`Case No. 2:23-cv-00083-RWS-RSP
`
`JURY TRIAL DEMANDED
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO. LTD. AND SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS AMERICA,
`INC.’S MOTION TO STAY UNTIL CONCLUSION OF PTAB PROCEEDINGS
`RELATING TO THE PENDING PETITIONS FOR INTER PARTES REVIEW
`
`
`
`
`
`
`

`

`Case 2:23-cv-00083-RWS-RSP Document 42 Filed 11/10/23 Page 2 of 12 PageID #: 257
`
`TABLE OF CONTENTS
`
`
`I. 
`INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................... 1 
`BACKGROUND ................................................................................................................. 1 
`II. 
`III.  ARGUMENT ....................................................................................................................... 2 
`A. 
`Slyde Will Not Suffer Undue Prejudice. .......................................................................... 2 
`B. 
`The Case Is In Its Earliest Stages. .................................................................................... 4 
`C. 
`The IPRs are Highly Likely To Simplify Or Eliminate Issues, Streamline the Litigation,
`and Reduce the Burden on the Court and the Parties. ...................................................... 5 
`IV.  CONCLUSION .................................................................................................................... 8 
`CERTIFICATE OF CONFERENCE ............................................................................................ 10 
`CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE ...................................................................................................... 10 
`
`
`
`
`
`
`

`

`Case 2:23-cv-00083-RWS-RSP Document 42 Filed 11/10/23 Page 3 of 12 PageID #: 258
`
`I.
`
`INTRODUCTION
`
`Defendants Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. and Samsung Electronics America, Inc.
`
`(collectively, “Samsung”) respectfully move to stay this case until conclusion of the Patent Trial
`
`and Appeal Board (“PTAB”) proceedings relating to the pending petitions for inter partes reviews
`
`(“IPR”) of the patents-in-suit. Samsung has filed IPR petitions challenging every claim of every
`
`asserted patent and now moves for a stay to conserve the Court’s and parties’ resources. Neither
`
`the Court nor Samsung should expend resources on motions, fact and expert discovery, claim
`
`construction, summary judgment, pre-trial, and trial, when the PTAB is poised to expeditiously
`
`invalidate the asserted patents.
`
`Courts typically find circumstances similar to those presented here to favor a stay. First, a
`
`stay will not unduly prejudice Slyde Analytics LLC (“Slyde”), because monetary damages would
`
`adequately compensate Slyde for any alleged infringement. Second, this case is in its earliest
`
`stages. In fact, Samsung filed IPR petitions on each of the four asserted patents before serving its
`
`invalidity contention or any claim construction exchanges in this case. Third, the IPRs are likely
`
`to simplify the issues in this case, if not dispense with it entirely, because Samsung has challenged
`
`every claim of every asserted patent. A stay pending the IPRs’ resolution is, therefore, warranted.
`
`II. BACKGROUND
`
`Slyde filed its Complaint on February 28, 2023, alleging that Samsung-branded
`
`wristwatches with a digital display infringe four patents. Dkt. 1. Between October 9, 2023 and
`
`November 2, 2023, Samsung filed IPR petitions challenging every claim of each of the four
`
`patents-in-suit, collectively challenging the validity of 68 claims:
`
`Patent-in-Suit
`
`IPR No.
`
`Date Filed
`
`8,588,033
`
`IPR2024-00006
`
`October 16, 2023
`
`
`
`1
`
`

`

`Case 2:23-cv-00083-RWS-RSP Document 42 Filed 11/10/23 Page 4 of 12 PageID #: 259
`
`9,651,922
`
`9,804,678
`
`10,198,085
`
`
`
`IPR2024-00002
`
`IPR2024-00040
`
`IPR2024-00041
`
`October 9, 2023
`
`November 2, 2023
`
`November 2, 2023
`
`III. ARGUMENT
`
`
`“[The] district court has the inherent power to control its own docket, including the power
`
`to stay proceedings.” Vill. Green Techs., LLC v. Samsung Elecs. Co., Ltd., No. 2:22-CV-00099-
`
`JRG, 2023 WL 416419, at *1 (E.D. Tex. Jan. 25, 2023) (quoting Clinton v. Jones, 520 U.S. 681,
`
`706 (1997)). In doing so, the court “must weigh competing interests and maintain an even
`
`balance.” Id. (quoting Landis v. N. Am. Co., 299 U.S. 248, 254–55 (1936)). When deciding
`
`whether to stay a case pending IPR proceedings, courts in this District consider “(1) whether the
`
`stay will unduly prejudice the nonmoving party, (2) whether the proceedings before the court have
`
`reached an advanced stage, including whether discovery is complete and a trial date has been set,
`
`and (3) whether the stay will likely result in simplifying the case before the court.” Id. (quoting
`
`NFC Tech. LLC v. HTC Am., Inc., No. 2:13-cv-1058-WCB, 2015 WL 1069111, at *2 (E.D. Tex.
`
`Mar. 11, 2015)). “Based on th[ese] factors, courts determine whether the benefits of a stay
`
`outweigh the inherent costs of postponing resolution of the litigation.” Id. Each of the three factors
`
`weighs in favor of granting a stay in this case.
`
`Slyde Will Not Suffer Undue Prejudice.
`
`A.
`
`“[W]hether the patentee will be unduly prejudiced by a stay in the district court proceedings
`
`. . . focuses on the patentee’s need for an expeditious resolution of its claim.” VirtualAgility Inc.
`
`v. Salesforce.com, Inc., 759 F.3d 1307, 1318 (Fed. Cir. 2014) (emphasis in original). Here, Slyde
`
`would not suffer undue prejudice from a stay because it does not compete with Samsung and can
`
`
`
`2
`
`

`

`Case 2:23-cv-00083-RWS-RSP Document 42 Filed 11/10/23 Page 5 of 12 PageID #: 260
`
`receive monetary relief sufficient to compensate for the alleged injuries. Slyde does not appear to
`
`have any business operations aside from maintaining and asserting a patent portfolio. See NFC
`
`Tech., 2015 WL 1069111, at *3 (finding that “generalized claim of injury is entitled to little
`
`weight” where plaintiff “does not compete with [defendant] and [] monetary relief will be
`
`sufficient to compensate it for any injury to its patent rights”); Uniloc 2017 LLC v. LG Elecs.
`
`U.S.A., Inc., No. 3:18-CV-3071-N, 2020 WL 374545, at *1 (N.D. Tex. Jan. 23, 2020) (“While
`
`‘competition between parties can weigh in favor of finding undue prejudice,’ Uniloc and
`
`Defendants are not competitors.”) (quoting VirtualAgility, 759 F.3d at 1318).
`
`Moreover, in the event that Slyde is ultimately found to be entitled to some relief, it can be
`
`adequately compensated through monetary damages. Notably, a “stay will not diminish the
`
`monetary damages to which [Slyde] will be entitled if it succeeds in its infringement suit—it only
`
`delays realization of those damages.” VirtualAgility, 759 F.3d at 1318–19; see also NFC Tech.,
`
`2015 WL 1069111, at *2 (explaining that “delay in the vindication of patent rights” is “present in
`
`every case in which a patentee resists a stay, and it is therefore not sufficient, standing alone, to
`
`defeat a stay motion”).
`
`On the other hand, Samsung faces undue prejudice if a stay is not granted. Without a stay,
`
`Samsung will incur significant litigation expenses defending itself against allegations based on the
`
`four patents-in-suit when those allegations may be mooted or materially altered both by the
`
`outcome of the IPRs and representations Slyde may make during their pendency. Especially at
`
`this early stage of the litigation, a stay will benefit both parties by allowing them to take advantage
`
`of the IPR process and its creation of “a more efficient and streamlined patent system [to] improve
`
`patent quality and limit unnecessary and counterproductive litigation costs.” U.S. Patent and
`
`Trademark Office, Changes to Implement Inter Partes Review Proceedings, Post-Grant
`
`
`
`3
`
`

`

`Case 2:23-cv-00083-RWS-RSP Document 42 Filed 11/10/23 Page 6 of 12 PageID #: 261
`
`Proceedings, and Transitional Program for Covered Business Method Patents, 77 FR 48680-01.
`
`The Case Is In Its Earliest Stages.
`
`B.
`
`“Staying a case at an early juncture can advance judicial efficiency and maximize the
`
`likelihood that neither the court nor the parties expend their assets addressing invalid claims.”
`
`Landmark Tech., LLC v. iRobot Corp., No. 6:13-cv-411-JDL, 2014 WL 486836, at *3 (E.D. Tex.
`
`Jan. 24, 2014) (internal quotation marks and brackets omitted); see also Chart Trading Dev., LLC
`
`v. Tradestation Grp., Inc., No. 6:15-CV-1136-JDL, 2016 WL 1246579, at *4 (E.D. Tex. Mar. 29,
`
`2016) (same). Slyde filed its Complaint on February 28, 2023, asserting four patents. Samsung
`
`has filed its Answer, which asserts affirmative defenses and counterclaims to Slyde’s Complaint.
`
`And as of the date of this motion, the case remains in its infancy. Samsung has just recently
`
`received Slyde’s initial interrogatories; there has been no other discovery, including no
`
`depositions. The parties’ initial claim construction exchanges are months away. At this point,
`
`“the bulk of the expenses that the parties would incur in pretrial work and trial preparation are still
`
`in the future.” NFC Tech., 2015 WL 1069111, at *3. Because “the most burdensome parts of the
`
`case . . . all lie in the future,” CyWee Grp. Ltd. v. Samsung Elecs. Co., Case No. 2:17-cv-00140-
`
`WCB-RSP, 2019 WL 11023976, at *6 (E.D. Tex. Feb. 14, 2019), the requested stay would
`
`conserve a significant amount of judicial and party resources—even more so than in other cases
`
`where stays have been granted. See, e.g., Smartflash LLC v. Apple Inc., 621 F. App’x 995, 1005
`
`(Fed. Cir. 2015) (“Despite the substantial time and effort already spent in this case, the most
`
`burdensome task [i.e., the trial] is yet to come. A determination from the PTAB that all the asserted
`
`claims are patent ineligible will spare the parties and the district court the expense of any further
`
`litigation, including a trial.”); Vill. Green Techs., 2023 WL 416419, at *3 (finding that a case was
`
`not “in its ‘advanced stages’” where initial discovery had been exchanged, but the trial setting was
`
`
`
`4
`
`

`

`Case 2:23-cv-00083-RWS-RSP Document 42 Filed 11/10/23 Page 7 of 12 PageID #: 262
`
`over 14 months away and the claim construction hearing was about seven months away).
`
`In particular, a stay at this stage will save judicial resources by avoiding any need for the
`
`Court to revisit claim-construction or other decisions in view of any binding arguments that Slyde
`
`may make before the PTAB.1 See Aylus Networks, Inc. v. Apple Inc., 856 F.3d 1353, 1364 (Fed.
`
`Cir. 2017) (“[S]tatements made by a patent owner during an IPR proceeding, whether before or
`
`after an institution decision, can be relied upon to support a finding of prosecution disclaimer.”);
`
`Huawei Techs. Co. v. T-Mobile US, Inc., No. 2:16-cv-00052-JRG-RSP, 2017 WL 4385567, at *3–
`
`5 (E.D. Tex. Sep. 9, 2017), report and recommendation adopted, No. 2:16-cv-00052-JRG-RSP,
`
`2017 WL 4310161 (E.D. Tex. Sep. 28, 2017) (stating that “[r]egardless of whether an examiner or
`
`panel agreed with the patentee’s statement, the statement itself may result in disclaimer because it
`
`constitutes a representation to the public about the scope of the patent” and finding prosecution
`
`disclaimer based on statements made in a patent owner’s Preliminary Response). A stay will also
`
`allow Slyde and Samsung to avoid incurring substantial expenses litigating issues that may well
`
`be mooted, streamlined, or at a minimum further defined via the PTAB proceedings. See, e.g.,
`
`Versata Software, Inc. v. Callidus Software, Inc., 771 F.3d 1368, 1374 (Fed. Cir. 2014) (noting
`
`courts should be “mindful of the burden on the parties and the court in completing both fact and
`
`expert discovery, resolving summary judgment motions, completing the Markman process, and
`
`preparing for trial,” and finding such considerations strongly favored a stay), opinion vacated on
`
`other grounds by 780 F.3d 1134 (Fed. Cir. 2015).
`
`The IPRs are Highly Likely To Simplify Or Eliminate Issues, Streamline the
`Litigation, and Reduce the Burden on the Court and the Parties.
`
`C.
`
`
`
`
`1 For these IPR’s, Slyde will likely file its Patent Owner Preliminary Responses in January-
`February 2024. If the IPR’s are instituted, it will file its Patent Owner Responses in July-August
`2024 and its Patent Owner Sur-Replies in November-December 2024.
`5
`
`
`
`

`

`Case 2:23-cv-00083-RWS-RSP Document 42 Filed 11/10/23 Page 8 of 12 PageID #: 263
`
`“[T]he most important factor bearing on whether to grant a stay in this case is the prospect
`
`that the inter partes review proceeding will result in simplification of the issues before the Court.”
`
`Vill. Green Techs., 2023 WL 416419, at *1 (quoting NFC Tech., 2015 WL 1069111, at *4). “A
`
`stay is particularly justified when the outcome of a PTO proceeding is likely to assist the court in
`
`determining patent validity or eliminate the need to try infringement issues.” Commc’n Techs.,
`
`Inc. v. Samsung Elecs. Am., Inc., No. 2:21-CV-00444-JRG, 2023 WL 1478447, at *1 (E.D. Tex.
`
`Feb. 2, 2023) (internal quotation marks omitted). Moreover, as the Federal Circuit and this Court
`
`have both observed, an important “auxiliary function [of the proceeding] is to free the court from
`
`any need to consider prior art without the benefit of the [PTAB]’s initial consideration.” Norman
`
`IP Holdings, LLC v. TP-Link Techs., Co., No. 6:13-cv-384-JDL, 2014 WL 5035718, at *2 (E.D.
`
`Tex. Oct. 8, 2014) (quoting In re Etter, 756 F.2d 852, 857 (Fed. Cir. 1985)).
`
`Because Samsung has filed IPR petitions challenging every claim of every one of the
`
`patents-in-suit, all of which Slyde has asserted, the IPR proceedings are likely to simplify the issues
`
`in this case and potentially resolve it altogether. Statistically, the PTAB institutes most petitions.
`
`The Patent Office’s most recent end-of-year trial statistics indicate that the PTAB had an overall
`
`institution rate (on a per patent basis) of 70% in Fiscal Year 2022. Ex. A, PTAB Statistics, FY
`
`2022 Roundup at 7. And instituted IPRs typically lead to claim cancellation. During the same
`
`time period, FY 2022, the Board issued 464 final written decisions. Id. at 11. In 305 of them
`
`(66%), all claims were cancelled, while in 85 (another 18%) at least some claims were canceled.
`
`Id. Accordingly, recent statistics indicate that 84% of the time, at least some claims in an IPR will
`
`be cancelled. Id. at 11. And if the Final Written Decision affirms claims, the IPRs will simplify
`
`this case through estoppel. CyWee Group Ltd. v. Samsung Elecs. Co. Ltd., No. 2:17-CV-00140-
`
`WCB-RSP, 2019 WL 11023976, at *8 (E.D. Tex. Feb. 14, 2019) (explaining that the “likelihood”
`
`
`
`6
`
`

`

`Case 2:23-cv-00083-RWS-RSP Document 42 Filed 11/10/23 Page 9 of 12 PageID #: 264
`
`of “benefits flowing from inter partes review is high,” including because “the defendant will be
`
`estopped from challenging the validity of the claims on any ground that was, or could reasonably
`
`have been, asserted in the inter partes proceeding” for any claims whose validity is confirmed in a
`
`Final Written Decision).
`
`But, even before the PTAB issues its institution decisions, the IPR proceedings may
`
`simplify this case because Slyde’s Preliminary Responses are evidence for issues such as claim
`
`construction. Aylus Networks, 856 F.3d at 1359–60; see also Corel Software, LLC v. Microsoft
`
`Corp., No. 2:15-cv-528-JNP-PMW, 2016 WL 4444747, at *2 (D. Utah Aug. 23, 2016) (“Because
`
`it is possible, even likely, that the PTO will proceed on at least one of [Defendant’s] IPR petitions,
`
`this factor weighs in favor of a stay. Proceeding with claim construction without the benefit of the
`
`additional intrinsic record developed during IPR could complicate this case by making it necessary
`
`to reconsider certain claim construction issues.”). This Court previously found statements made
`
`in a patent owner’s Preliminary Response dispositive in granting summary judgment of non-
`
`infringement on the basis of prosecution disclaimer. See Huawei, 2017 WL 4385567, at *3–5. An
`
`immediate stay would ensure that, should this case resume at a later date, the Court and the parties
`
`will have a complete record upon which to address claim construction and any other remaining
`
`disputed issues.
`
`Even if the PTAB invalidates only some of the asserted patents or claims, the IPRs still
`
`will have simplified the case while adding information to the record in ways that are likely to
`
`inform the remaining issues. And even if some petitions are not instituted, judicial economy still
`
`counsels that the case be stayed because those that are instituted will likely simplify the issues.
`
`See Versata Software, 771 F.3d at 1371–72 (“Stays can be warranted even when a [PTO]
`
`proceeding does not address all asserted patents, claims, or invalidity defenses.”); NFC Tech., 2015
`
`
`
`7
`
`

`

`Case 2:23-cv-00083-RWS-RSP Document 42 Filed 11/10/23 Page 10 of 12 PageID #: 265
`
`WL 1069111, at *7 (“[A]ny disposition by the PTAB is likely to simplify the proceedings before
`
`this Court . . . .”); Uniloc USA Inc. v. Google Inc., No. 2:17-cv-00231-JRG, Dkt. 47 (E.D. Tex.
`
`Oct. 3, 2017) (finding, in granting a stay where IPRs for two out of four patents-in-suit asserted in
`
`related actions were instituted, that there was “a significant likelihood that the outcome of the IPR
`
`proceedings will streamline the scope and resolution of these cases”). Given the potential
`
`scenarios regarding the IPR petitions, and their most likely outcomes, this “most important factor”
`
`plainly favors a stay. Vill. Green Techs., 2023 WL 416419, at *1.
`
`IV. CONCLUSION
`
`
`Because the relevant factors all weigh in favor of a stay, Samsung respectfully requests
`
`that the Court stay this case until conclusion of the PTAB proceedings relating to the pending
`
`petitions requesting IPR of the patents-in-suit. If the Court denies this motion because the PTAB’s
`
`institution decisions are pending, Samsung respectfully asks the Court to deny the motion without
`
`prejudice, so it may renew the motion after the IPRs are instituted.
`
`
`
`
`
`8
`
`

`

`Case 2:23-cv-00083-RWS-RSP Document 42 Filed 11/10/23 Page 11 of 12 PageID #: 266
`
`Dated: November 10, 2023
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`Respectfully submitted,
`
`
`
`/s/ Ryan Yagura
`Ryan Yagura (TX #24075933)
`ryagura@omm.com
`Nicholas Whilt (admitted pro hac vice)
`nwhilt@omm.com
`Grace McFee (admitted pro hac vice)
`gmcfee@omm.com
`O’MELVENY & MYERS LLP
`400 South Hope Street, 18th Floor
`Los Angeles, CA 90071
`Telephone: (213) 430-6000
`Facsimile: (213) 430-6407
`
`Timothy Durst (TX #786924)
`tdurst@omm.com
`Jeffery Derek Baxter (TX #24006816)
`jbaxter@omm.com
`O’MELVENY & MYERS LLP
`2501 North Harwood Street, Suite 1700
`Dallas, TX 75201
`Telephone: (972) 360-1900
`Facsimile: (972) 360-1901
`jbaxter@omm.com
`
`Brad Berg (admitted pro hac vice)
`bmberg@omm.com
`610 Newport Center Drive, 17 Floor
`O’MELVENY & MYERS LLP
`Newport Beach, CA 92660
`Telephone: (949) 823-6900
`Facsimile: (949) 823-66994
`
`Melissa R. Smith (TX #24001351)
`melissa@gilliamsmithlaw.com
`303 South Washington Avenue
`GILLIAM & SMITH, LLP
`Marshall, Texas 75670
`Telephone: (903) 934-8450
`Facsimile: (903) 934-9257
`
`
`Attorneys for Defendants Samsung
`Electronics Co., Ltd. and Samsung
`Electronics America, Inc.
`
`
`
`
`9
`
`

`

`Case 2:23-cv-00083-RWS-RSP Document 42 Filed 11/10/23 Page 12 of 12 PageID #: 267
`
`CERTIFICATE OF CONFERENCE
`
`
`The undersigned counsel hereby certifies that counsel for Samsung, and counsel for Slyde
`
`Analytics, complied with the meet and confer requirement specified in E.D. Tex. Local Rule
`
`CV-7(h)–(i) on November 8, 2023. No agreement was reached and discussions ended in an
`
`impasse, leaving an open issue for the Court to resolve. This motion is opposed.
`
`/s/ Ryan K. Yagura
`Ryan K. Yagura
`O’Melveny & Myers LLP
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE
`
`Pursuant to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and Local Rule CV-5, I hereby certify
`
`that, on November 10, 2023, all counsel of record who have appeared in this case are being served
`
`with a copy of the foregoing via the Court’s CM/ECF system.
`
`/s/ Ryan K. Yagura
`Ryan K. Yagura
`O’Melveny & Myers LLP
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`Dated: November 10, 2023
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`10
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`

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