SHEILA K. OBERTO, Magistrate Judge.
The parties, subject to the approval of this Honorable Court, stipulate to the terms of this Stipulated Protective Order:
Disclosure and discovery activity in this action are likely to involve production of confidential, proprietary, or private information for which special protection from public disclosure and from use for any purpose other than prosecuting this litigation and any related proceedings before the United States Patent and Trademark Office (e.g., inter partes review) concerning U.S. Patent Nos. 8,336,404 and 9,463,885, may be warranted. Accordingly, the parties hereby stipulate to and petition the Court to enter the following Stipulated Protective Order. The parties acknowledge that this Order does not confer blanket protections on all disclosures or responses to discovery and that the protection it affords from public disclosure and use extends only to the limited information or items that are entitled to confidential treatment under the applicable legal principles. The parties further acknowledge, as set forth in Section 13.3, below, that this Stipulated Protective Order does not entitle them to file confidential information under seal; Civil Local Rule 141 sets forth the procedures that must be followed and the standards that will be applied when a party seeks permission from the Court to file material under seal. This Stipulated Protective Order, and any and all motions or other applications made to the Court pursuant to or for enforcement of its provisions, shall be governed by Civil Local Rules 141.1 and 251.
2.1
2.2
2.3
2.4
2.5
2.6
2.7
2.8
2.9
2.10
2.11
2.12
2.13
2.14
2.15
The protections conferred by this Stipulation and Order cover not only Protected Material (as defined above), but also (1) any information copied or extracted from Protected Material; (2) all copies, excerpts, summaries, or compilations of Protected Material; and (3) any testimony, conversations, or presentations by Parties or their Counsel that might reveal Protected Material. However, the protections conferred by this Stipulation and Order do not cover the following information: (a) any information that is in the public domain at the time of disclosure to a Receiving Party or becomes part of the public domain after its disclosure to a Receiving Party as a result of publication not involving a violation of this Order, including becoming part of the public record through trial or otherwise; and (b) any information known to the Receiving Party prior to the disclosure or obtained by the Receiving Party after the disclosure from a source who obtained the information lawfully and under no obligation of confidentiality to the Designating Party. Any use of Protected Material at trial shall be governed by a separate agreement or order.
Even after final disposition of this litigation, the confidentiality obligations imposed by this Order shall remain in effect until a Designating Party agrees otherwise in writing or a court order otherwise directs. Final disposition shall be deemed to be the later of (1) dismissal of all claims and defenses in this action, with or without prejudice; and (2) final judgment herein after the completion and exhaustion of all appeals, rehearings, remands, trials, or reviews of this action, including the time limits for filing any motions or applications for extension of time pursuant to applicable law.
5.1
5.2
(a)
A Party or Non-Party that makes original documents or materials available for inspection shall have the option to defer designating them for protection until after the inspecting Party has indicated which material it would like copied and produced. If the producing Party or Non-Party elects that option, then during the inspection and before the designation, all of the material made available for inspection shall temporarily be deemed "HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL — ATTORNEYS' EYES ONLY." After the inspecting Party has identified the documents it wants copied and produced, the Designating Party must promptly determine which documents, or portions thereof, qualify for protection under this Order; designate or make arrangements to have such documents designated as prescribed in the preceding paragraph of this section 5.2(a); and then complete or allow completion of the production.
(b)
Parties shall give the other Parties notice if they reasonably expect a deposition, hearing or other proceeding to include Protected Material so that the other Parties can ensure that only authorized individuals (including any who have signed the "Acknowledgment and Agreement to Be Bound" (Exhibit A)) are present at those proceedings. The use of a document as an exhibit at a deposition shall not in any way affect its designation as "CONFIDENTIAL" or "HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL — ATTORNEYS' EYES ONLY." If a document or information is brought to a deposition by the witness or proposed to be shown or disclosed to the witness under circumstances where a Party has not previously had the opportunity to consider whether to designate the document as "CONFIDENTIAL" or "HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL — ATTORNEYS' EYES ONLY", counsel examining the witness shall first show the document to all other counsel present and allow counsel the opportunity for his or her client to become a Designating Party with respect to that document or information. Terms of this Protective Order applicable to the designation of documents or information shall otherwise apply in such situations.
(c)
5.3
6.1
6.2
6.3
Any and each challenge shall be deemed encompassed and governed by Fed. R. Civ. P. 26(g)(1)(B), and shall be addressed and resolved through the pre-motion consultation and motion procedures set forth in Civil Local Rules 141.1 and 251. Motions for resolution of disputes under this section shall be governed by Fed. R. Civ. P. 11(b) to the same extent as all other motions. The meet and confer requirements imposed by Civil Local Rule 251(b shall apply in such motion practice and compliance shall be demonstrated in the manner required by that Rule).
The burden of proof and persuasion in any such dispute between the parties regarding the propriety of designations shall be on the Designating Party regardless of which party files the Joint Statement re Discovery Disagreement, to the same extent such burden would exist in an opposed motion for protective order under Fed. R. Civ. P. 26(c); provided however that all parties shall continue to afford the material in question the level of protection to which it is entitled under the Producing Party's designation until the Court rules on the challenge.
7.1
Protected Material must be stored and maintained by a Receiving Party at a location and in a secure manner that ensures that access is limited to the persons authorized under this Order.
7.2
(a) the Receiving Party's Outside Counsel of Record in this action;
(b) House Counsel of the Receiving Party; and such officers, directors, and employees/agents of the Receiving Party to whom disclosure is reasonably necessary for the management of the litigation;
(c) Experts (as defined in this Order) of the Receiving Party to whom disclosure is reasonably necessary for the performance of their services in the litigation;
(d) the Court and its personnel;
(e) court reporters and their staff, professional jury or trial consultants, and Professional Vendors to whom disclosure is reasonably necessary for the conduct of the litigation;
(f) during their depositions, for witnesses to whom disclosure is believed by deposing counsel to be reasonably necessary, after the document(s) in question have been presented to opposing counsel and opposing counsel has been given the opportunity to object to their disclosure to the witness;
(g) the author or recipient of a document containing the information or a custodian or other person who otherwise possessed or knew the information.
7.3
(a) the Receiving Party's Outside Counsel of Record in this action;
(b) Experts of the Receiving Party (1) to whom disclosure is reasonably necessary for the performance of their services in the litigation, (2) who have signed the "Acknowledgment and Agreement to Be Bound" (Exhibit A hereto), and (3) as to whom the restrictions set forth in section 7.4 below, have been complied with;
(c) the Court and its personnel;
(d) court reporters and their staff, professional jury or trial consultants, and Professional Vendors to whom disclosure is reasonably necessary for the conduct of the litigation; and
(e) the author or recipient of a document containing the information or a custodian or other person who otherwise possessed or knew the information.
7.4
(a) Unless otherwise ordered by the Court or agreed to in writing by the Designating Party, a Party that seeks to disclose to an Expert (as defined in this Order) any information or item that has been designated "HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL — ATTORNEYS' EYES ONLY" pursuant to paragraph 7.3(c) first must make a written request to the Designating Party that (1) sets forth the full name of the Expert and the city and state of his or her primary residence, (2) attaches a copy of the Expert's current resume or curriculum vitae, (3) identifies the Expert's current employer(s) and identifies any past employment or paid consultations for any Party (regardless of time period); and (4) identifies (by name and number of the case, filing date, and location of court to the extent the Expert has such information or can obtain it without unreasonable burden) any litigation in connection with which the Expert has offered expert testimony or otherwise been retained, including through a declaration, report, or testimony at a deposition or trial, during the preceding three years, wherein the case or testimony involved the subject matter of the patents-in-suit or other products in the strapping/baling industry.
(b) A Party that makes a request and provides the information specified in the preceding respective paragraphs may disclose the subject Protected Material to the identified Expert unless, within 5 business days of delivering the request, the Party receives a written objection from the Designating Party. Any such objection must set forth in detail the grounds on which it is based.
(c) A Party that receives a timely written objection must meet and confer with the Designating Party (through direct voice-to-voice dialogue) to try to resolve the matter by agreement within 3 business days of the written objection. If no agreement is reached, the Party seeking to make the disclosure to the Expert may file a motion seeking permission from the Court to do so. Any such motion must describe the circumstances with specificity, set forth in detail the reasons why the disclosure to the Expert is reasonably necessary, assess the risk of harm that the disclosure would entail, and suggest any additional means that could be used to reduce that risk.
Absent written consent from the Producing Party, any individual who receives access to information or items designated "HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL — ATTORNEYS' EYES ONLY" pursuant to this Order shall not be involved in the prosecution of patents or patent applications relating to the below-defined subject matter before any foreign or domestic agency, including the United States Patent and Trademark Office ("the Patent Office"). For purposes of this section, "prosecution" includes directly or indirectly drafting, amending, advising, or otherwise affecting the scope or maintenance of patent claims. To avoid any doubt, "prosecution" as used in this section does not include representing either a Party or Non-Party challenging a patent before a domestic or foreign agency (including, but not limited to, a reissue protest; ex parte reexamination; or inter partes, covered business method, or post grant review). This Prosecution Bar shall begin when access to "HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL — ATTORNEYS' EYES ONLY" information is first received by the affected individual and shall end two (2) years after final termination of this action. The subject matter of this Prosecution Bar is any patent or patent application relating to automated wrapping of cotton bales. For the avoidance of doubt, (a) there is no such restriction if the subject matter relates to handling, processing, or other commercial activities occurring before the cotton fiber is separated from the seed; and (b) such restriction does not apply to seedcotton module wrapping.
If a Party is served with a subpoena or a court order issued in other litigation that compels disclosure of any information or items designated in this action as "CONFIDENTIAL" or "HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL — ATTORNEYS' EYES ONLY," and that Party has any such information or items responsive to such subpoena or court order, that Party must:
(a) promptly notify in writing the Designating Party. Such notification shall include a copy of the subpoena or court order;
(b) promptly notify in writing the party in the other litigation who caused the subpoena or order to issue that some or all of the material covered by the subpoena or order is subject to this Protective Order. Such notification shall include a copy of this Stipulated Protective Order; and
(c) cooperate with respect to all reasonable procedures sought to be pursued by the Designating Party whose Protected Material may be affected.
If the Designating Party timely seeks a protective order in the other litigation, the Party served with the subpoena or court order shall not produce any information designated in this action as "CONFIDENTIAL" or "HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL — ATTORNEYS' EYES ONLY" before a determination by the court from which the subpoena or order issued or otherwise authorized to make such determination, permitting such production, unless either (a) the Party has obtained the Designating Party's permission, or (b) applicable law dictates such production, notwithstanding the absence of court determination. The Designating Party shall bear the burden and expense of seeking protection in that court of its Protected Material — and nothing in these provisions should be construed as authorizing or encouraging a Receiving Party in this action to disobey a lawful directive from another court.
(a) The terms of this Order are applicable to information and items produced by a Non-Party in this action and designated as "CONFIDENTIAL" or "HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL — ATTORNEYS' EYES ONLY." Such information and items produced by Non-Parties in connection with this litigation shall be protected by the remedies and relief provided by this Order.
(b) In the event that a Party is required, by a valid discovery request served in this action, to produce a Non-Party's confidential information or items in its possession, and the Party is subject to an agreement with the Non-Party not to produce the Non-Party's confidential information or items, then the Party shall:
1. promptly notify in writing the Requesting Party and the Non-Party that some or all of the information and/or items requested is subject to a confidentiality agreement with a Non-Party;
2. promptly provide the Non-Party with a copy of the Stipulated Protective Order in this litigation, the relevant discovery request(s), and a reasonably specific description of the information and/or items requested; and
3. make the information and/or items requested available for inspection by the Non-Party.
(c) If the Non-Party fails to object or seek a protective order from this Court or another court empowered to grant such protection within 15 business days of receiving the notice and accompanying information, then this Protective Order shall not preclude the Receiving Party from producing the Non-Party's confidential information and/or items responsive to the discovery request. If the Non-Party timely seeks a protective order, the Receiving Party shall not produce any information or items in its possession or control that are subject to the confidentiality agreement with the Non-Party before a determination by the appropriate Court.
If a Receiving Party learns that, by inadvertence or otherwise, it has disclosed Protected Material to any person or in any circumstance not authorized under this Stipulated Protective Order, the Receiving Party must immediately (a) notify in writing the Designating Party of the unauthorized disclosures, (b) use its best efforts to retrieve all unauthorized copies of the Protected Material, (c) inform the person or persons to whom unauthorized disclosures were made of all the terms of this Order, and (d) request such person or persons to execute the "Acknowledgment and Agreement to Be Bound" that is attached hereto as Exhibit A.
When a Producing Party gives notice to Receiving Parties that certain inadvertently produced material is subject to a claim of privilege or other protection, the obligations of the Receiving Parties are those set forth in Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 26(b)(5)(B).
13.1
13.2
13.3
13.4
Within 90 days after the final disposition of this action, as defined in section 4, each Receiving Party must return all Protected Material to the Producing Party or destroy such material. As used in this section, "all Protected Material" includes all copies, abstracts, compilations, summaries, and any other format reproducing or capturing any of the Protected Material. Whether the Protected Material is returned or destroyed, the Receiving Party must submit a written certification to the Producing Party (and, if not the same person or entity, to the Designating Party) by the 90-day deadline that affirms that the Receiving Party has not retained any copies, abstracts, compilations, summaries or any other format reproducing or capturing any of the Protected Material of the Producing and/or Designating Party. Notwithstanding this provision, Counsel are entitled to retain an archival copy of all pleadings, motion papers, trial, deposition, and hearing transcripts, legal memoranda, correspondence, deposition and trial exhibits, expert reports, attorney work product, and consultant and expert work product, even if such materials contain Protected Material. Any such archival copies that contain or constitute Protected Material shall remain subject to this Protective Order as set forth in Section 4 (DURATION).
IT IS SO STIPULATED, THROUGH COUNSEL OF RECORD.
IT IS SO ORDERED.
I, _____________________________[print full name], of __________________________ ____________________________________[print or type full address], declare under penalty of perjury that I have read in its entirety and understand the Stipulated Protective Order that was issued by the United States District Court for the Eastern District of California in the case of H.W.J. DESIGNS FOR AGRIBUSINESS, INC. et al. v. RETHCEIF ENTERPRISES, LLC et al., No. 1:17-cv-00272-AWI-SKO. I agree to comply with and to be bound by all the terms of this Stipulated Protective Order and I understand and acknowledge that failure to so comply could expose me to sanctions and punishment in the nature of contempt. I solemnly promise that I will not disclose in any manner any information or item that is subject to this Stipulated Protective Order to any person or entity except in strict compliance with the provisions of this Order.
I further agree to submit to the jurisdiction of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of California for the purpose of enforcing the terms of this Stipulated Protective Order, even if such enforcement proceedings occur after termination of this action.