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Via Licensing Corporation v. Haier America Trading, LLC, 3:17-cv-03485-RS. (2018)

Court: District Court, N.D. California Number: infdco20180301i15 Visitors: 2
Filed: Feb. 20, 2018
Latest Update: Feb. 20, 2018
Summary: STIPULATED PROTECTIVE ORDER RICHARD SEEBORG , District Judge . I. PURPOSES AND LIMITATIONS Disclosures and discovery 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 may be warranted. Accordingly, the parties hereby stipulate to and petition the Court to enter the following Stipulated Protective Order. The Parties ackno
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STIPULATED PROTECTIVE ORDER

I. PURPOSES AND LIMITATIONS

Disclosures and discovery 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 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 Stipulated Protective 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 paragraph 12.3, below, that this Stipulated Protective Order does not entitle them to file confidential information under seal; Civil Local Rule 79-5 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.

II. DEFINITIONS

2.1 Challenging Party: a Party or Non-Party that challenges the designation of information or items under this Stipulated Protective Order.

2.2 "CONFIDENTIAL" Information or Items: information (regardless of how it is generated, stored or maintained) or tangible things that qualify for protection under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 26(c).

2.3 Counsel (without qualifier): Outside Counsel of Record and In-house Counsel (as well as their support staff).

2.4 Designating Party: a Party or Non-Party that designates information or items that it produces in disclosures or in responses to discovery as "CONFIDENTIAL" or "HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL."

2.5 Disclosure or Discovery Material: all items or information, regardless of the medium or manner in which it is generated, stored, or maintained (including, among other things, testimony, transcripts, and tangible things), that are produced or generated in disclosures or responses to discovery in this matter.

2.6 Expert: a person with specialized knowledge or experience in a matter pertinent to the litigation who has been retained by a Party or its counsel to serve as an expert witness or as a consultant in this action.

2.7 "HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL" Information or Items: especially sensitive "Confidential Information or Items," disclosure of which to another Party or Non-Party would create a substantial risk of serious harm that could not be avoided by less restrictive means, including but not limited to highly confidential technical, financial, research, and development information.

2.8 In-house Counsel: attorneys who are employees of a Party to this action and employees within a Party's legal department who report directly to an attorney. In-house Counsel do not include Outside Counsel of Record or any other outside counsel.

2.9 Non-Party: any natural person, partnership, corporation, association, or other legal entity not named as a Party to this action.

2.10 Outside Counsel of Record: attorneys who are not employees of a Party to this action but are retained to represent or advise a Party to this action and have appeared in this action on behalf of that Party or are affiliated with a law firm which has appeared on behalf of that party.

2.11 Party: any party to this action, including all of its officers, directors, employees, consultants, retained experts, and Outside Counsel of Record (and their support staffs).

2.12 Privileged Material: any Disclosure or Discovery Material protected by the attorney-client privilege, the work product doctrine, or any other privilege or protection from disclosure recognized under applicable law.

2.13 Producing Party: a Party or Non-Party that produces Disclosure or Discovery Material in this action.

2.14 Professional Vendors: persons or entities that provide litigation support services (e.g., photocopying, videotaping, translating, preparing exhibits or demonstrations, and organizing, storing, or retrieving data in any form or medium) and their employees and subcontractors.

2.15 Protected Material: any Disclosure or Discovery Material that is designated as "CONFIDENTIAL" or as "HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL."

2.16 Receiving Party: a Party that receives Disclosure or Discovery Material from a Producing Party.

III. SCOPE

The protections conferred by this Stipulated Protective 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 complications 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 Stipulated Protective 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 Stipulated Protective 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.

IV. DURATION

Even after final disposition of this litigation, the confidentiality obligations imposed by this Stipulated Protective 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 either (1) dismissal of all claims and defenses in this action, with or without prejudice; or (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.

V. DESIGNATING PROTECTED MATERIAL

5.1 Exercise of Restraint and Care in Designating Material for Protection. Each Party or Non-Party that designates information or items for protection under this Stipulated Protective Order must take care to limit any such designation to specific material that qualifies under the appropriate standards. The Designating Party must designate for protection only those material, documents, items, or oral or written communications that qualify, so that other documents, items, or communications for which protection is not warranted are not swept unjustifiably within the ambit of this Stipulated Protective Order.

Mass, indiscriminate, or routinized designations are prohibited. If it comes to the Designating Party's attention that information or items that it designated for protection do not qualify for protection at all, or do not qualify for the level of protection initially asserted, that Designating Party must promptly notify all other Parties that it is withdrawing or modifying the designation.

5.2 Manner and Timing of Designations. Except as otherwise provided in this Stipulated Protective Order (see, e.g., second paragraph of section 5.2(a) below), or as otherwise stipulated or ordered, Disclosure or Discovery Material that qualifies for protection under this Stipulated Protective Order must be clearly so designated before the material is disclosed or produced.

Designation in conformity with this Stipulated Protective Order requires:

(a) For information in documentary form (e.g., paper or electronic documents, but excluding transcripts of depositions or other pretrial or trial proceedings), the Producing Party must affix the legend "CONFIDENTIAL" or "HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL" to each document that contains Protected Material (except that a document produced in native form (e.g., Excel documents) shall have the confidentiality designation appended to its file name instead or shall otherwise be designated as "CONFIDENTIAL" or "HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL" at the time of it is copied and produced).

A Party or Non-Party that makes original documents or materials available for inspection need not designate them for protection until after the inspecting Party has indicated which material it would like copied and produced. During the inspection and before the designation, all of the material made available for inspection shall be deemed "HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL." After the inspecting Party has identified the documents it wants copied and produced, the Producing Party must determine which documents, or portions thereof, qualify for protection under this Stipulated Protective Order. Then, before producing the specified documents, the Producing Party must affix the appropriate legend ("CONFIDENTIAL" or "HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL") to each page that contains Protected Material (except that documents produced in native form (e.g., Excel documents) need not be affixed with a confidentiality designation).

(b) For testimony given in deposition or in other pretrial or trial proceedings, the Designating Party may invoke on the record (before the deposition, hearing, or other proceeding is concluded) a right to have up to 30 days to identify the specific portions of the testimony as to which protection is sought and to specify the level of protection being asserted. Only those portions of the testimony that are appropriately designated for protection within the 30 days shall be covered by the provisions of this Stipulated Protective Order. Alternatively, a Designating Party may specify, at the deposition or up to 30 days afterwards if that period is properly invoked, that the entire transcript shall be treated as "CONFIDENTIAL" or "HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL." In the absence of a contrary designation on the record at the time the testimony is given, during the 30 days and prior to a designation being made, the testimony shall be deemed "HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL."

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 specified below in paragraphs 7.2 and 7.3 are present at those proceedings. The use of a document as an exhibit at a deposition, hearing or other proceeding shall not in any way affect its designation as "CONFIDENTIAL" or "HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL."

Transcripts containing Protected Material shall have an obvious legend on the title page that the transcript contains Protected Material, and the title page shall be followed by a list of all pages (including line numbers as appropriate) that have been designated as Protected Material and the level of protection being asserted by the Designating Party. The Designating Party shall inform the court reporter of these requirements. Any transcript that is prepared before the expiration of a 30-day period for designation shall be treated during that period as if it had been designated "HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL" in its entirety unless otherwise agreed. After the expiration of that period, the transcript shall be treated only as actually designated.

(c) For information produced in some form other than documentary and for any other tangible items, the Producing Party must affix in a prominent place on the exterior of the container or containers in which the information or item is stored the legend "CONFIDENTIAL" or "HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL."

5.3 Inadvertent Failures to Designate. An inadvertent failure to designate qualified information or items does not, standing alone, waive the Designating Party's right to protection under this Stipulated Protective Order for such material. Upon correction of a designation, the Receiving Party must make reasonable efforts to assure that the material is treated in accordance with the provisions of this Stipulated Protective Order.

VI. CHALLENGING CONFIDENTIALITY DESIGNATIONS

6.1 Timing of Challenges. Any Party or Non-Party may challenge a designation of confidentiality at any time. Unless a prompt challenge to a Designating Party's confidentiality designation is necessary to avoid foreseeable, substantial unfairness, unnecessary economic burdens, or a significant disruption or delay of the litigation, a Party does not waive its right to challenge a confidentiality designation by electing not to mount a challenge promptly after the original designation is disclosed.

6.2 Meet and Confer. The Challenging Party shall initiate the dispute resolution process by providing written notice of each designation it is challenging and describing the basis for each challenge. To avoid ambiguity as to whether a challenge has been made, the written notice must recite that the challenge to confidentiality is being made in accordance with this specific paragraph of the Stipulated Protective Order. The parties shall attempt to resolve each challenge in good faith and must begin the process by conferring directly (by telephone or in-person) within 7 days of the date of service of notice. In conferring, the Challenging Party must explain the basis for its belief that the confidentiality designation was not proper and must give the Designating Party an opportunity to review the designated material, to reconsider the circumstances, and, if no change in designation is offered, to explain the basis for the chosen designation. A Challenging Party may seek judicial intervention to resolve the designation only if it has engaged in this meet and confer process first or establishes that the Designating Party is unwilling to participate in the meet and confer process in a timely manner.

6.3 Judicial Intervention. If the Parties cannot resolve a challenge without Court intervention, the Designating Party may file and serve a motion to retain confidentiality under Civil Local Rule 7 (and in compliance with Civil Local Rule 79-5, if applicable) or the Challenging Party may file a motion challenging a confidentiality designation, including a challenge to the designation of a deposition transcript or any portions thereof. Any motion brought pursuant to this provision must be accompanied by a competent declaration affirming that the movant has complied with the meet and confer requirements imposed by the preceding paragraph.

The burden of persuasion in any such challenge proceeding shall be on the Designating Party. Frivolous challenges, and those made for an improper purpose (e.g., to harass or impose unnecessary expenses and burdens on other parties) may expose the Challenging Party to sanctions. 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.

VII. ACCESS TO AND USE OF PROTECTED MATERIAL

7.1 Basic Principles. A Receiving Party may use Protected Material that is disclosed or produced by another Party or by a Non-Party in connection with this case only for prosecuting, defending, or attempting to settle or otherwise resolve this litigation or any of the claims and defenses asserted in this litigation. Such Protected Material may be disclosed only to the categories of persons and under the conditions described in this Order. When the litigation has been terminated, a Receiving Party must comply with the provisions of paragraph 13 below (FINAL DISPOSITION).

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 Stipulated Protective Order.

7.2 Disclosure of "CONFIDENTIAL" Information or Items. Unless otherwise ordered by the Court or permitted in writing by the Designating Party, a Receiving Party may disclose any information or item designated "CONFIDENTIAL" only to:

(a) the Receiving Party's Outside Counsel of Record in this action, as well as employees of said Outside Counsel of Record to whom it is reasonably necessary to disclose the information for this litigation; (b) the officers, directors, and employees (including In-house Counsel) of the Receiving Party to whom disclosure is reasonably necessary for this litigation; (c) Experts (as defined in this Stipulated Protective Order) of the Receiving Party to whom disclosure is reasonably necessary for this litigation and who have signed the "Acknowledgment and Agreement to Be Bound" that is attached hereto as Exhibit A;1 (d) the Court and its personnel; (e) court reporters and their staff, professional jury or trial consultants, mock jurors, and Professional Vendors to whom disclosure is reasonably necessary for this litigation and who have signed the "Acknowledgment and Agreement to Be Bound" (Exhibit A); (f) during their depositions, witnesses in the action to whom disclosure is reasonably necessary, unless otherwise agreed by the Designating Party or ordered by the Court. Pages of transcribed deposition testimony or exhibits to depositions that reveal Protected Material must be separately bound by the court reporter and may not be disclosed to anyone except as permitted under this Stipulated Protective Order; and (g) the author or recipient of a document containing the information or a custodian or other person who otherwise possessed or knew the information prior to its production by the Producing Party in this litigation or who came into possession of the information by means other than disclosure by the Receiving Party.

7.3 Disclosure of "HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL" Information or Items. Unless otherwise ordered by the Court or permitted in writing by the Designating Party, a Receiving Party may disclose any information or item designated "HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL" to:

(a) the Receiving Party's Outside Counsel of Record in this action, as well as employees of said Outside Counsel of Record to whom it is reasonably necessary to disclose the information for this litigation; (b) the Receiving Party's In-house Counsel (1) who are licensed to practice in at least one state in the United States or in China, or who report directly to such an individual and who works in the Receiving Party's legal department, and who have no involvement in competitive decision making, (2) to whom disclosure is reasonably necessary for this litigation, and (3) who have signed the "Acknowledgment and Agreement to Be Bound" that is attached hereto as Exhibit A; (c) Experts of the Receiving Party (1) to whom disclosure is reasonably necessary for this litigation, (2) who have signed the "Acknowledgment and Agreement to Be Bound" that is attached hereto as Exhibit A, and (3) as to whom the procedures set forth in paragraph 7.4(a), below, have been followed; (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 this litigation and who have signed the "Acknowledgment and Agreement to Be Bound" (Exhibit A); and (f) the author or recipient of a document containing the information or a custodian or other person who otherwise possessed or knew the information prior to its production by the Producing Party in this litigation or who came into possession of the information by means other than disclosure by the Receiving Party.

7.4 Procedures for Approving or Objecting to Disclosure of "HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL" Information or Items to Experts.

(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 Stipulated Protective Order) any information or item that has been designated "HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL" pursuant to paragraph 7.3(b) 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, (3) identifies the Expert's current employer(s), (4) identifies each person or entity from whom the Expert has received compensation or direct funding for work in his or her areas of expertise or to whom the expert has provided professional services, including in connection with a litigation, at any time during the preceding five years, and (5) identifies (by name and number of the case, filing date, and location of court) any litigation in connection with which the Expert has offered expert testimony, including through a declaration, report, or testimony at a deposition or trial, during the preceding five years.

(b) A Party that makes a request and provides the information specified in the preceding respective paragraphs may disclose the designated "HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL" Protected Material to the identified Expert unless, within 10 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 (by telephone or in-person) to try to resolve the matter by agreement within seven days of the written objection. If no agreement is reached, the Party seeking to make the disclosure to the Expert may file a motion as provided in Civil Local Rule 7 (and in compliance with Civil Local Rule 79-5, if applicable) 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 (or lack thereof) that the disclosure would entail, and suggest any additional means that could be used to reduce that risk. In addition, any such motion must be accompanied by a competent declaration describing the parties' efforts to resolve the matter by agreement (i.e., the extent and the content of the meet and confer discussions) and setting forth the reasons advanced by the Designating Party for its refusal to approve the disclosure.

In any such proceeding, the Party opposing disclosure to the Expert shall bear the burden of proving that the risk of harm that the disclosure would entail (under the safeguards proposed) outweighs the Receiving Party's need to disclose the Protected Material to its Expert.

VIII. PROTECTED MATERIAL SUBPOENAED OR ORDERED PRODUCED IN OTHER LITIGATION

If a Party is served with a discovery request, subpoena or a court order issued in another litigation that compels disclosure of any information or items designated in this action as "CONFIDENTIAL" or "HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL," that Party must:

(a) provide notice in writing to the Designating Party no later than 10 days prior to the date on which production of such information and items are required. Such notification shall include a copy of the request, subpoena or court order and confirm the date of service of the same; (b) promptly notify in writing the party who caused the request, subpoena or order to issue in the other litigation that some or all of the material covered by the request subpoena or order is subject to this Stipulated 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, including, but not limited to, by timely objecting to such production on behalf of the Designating Party.

If the Party served with the Subpoena timely objects on behalf of the Designating Party or if the Designating Party timely seeks a protective order, the Party served with the subpoena or court order shall not produce any information designated in this action as "CONFIDENTIAL" or "HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL" before a determination by the court from which the request, subpoena or order issued, unless the Party has obtained the Designating Party's permission. The Designating Party shall bear the burden and expense of seeking protection in that court of its confidential material. 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.

IX. A NON-PARTY'S PROTECTED MATERIAL SOUGHT TO BE PRODUCED IN THIS LITIGATION

(a) The terms of this Stipulated Protective Order are applicable to information produced by a Non-Party in this action, which the Non-Party can designate as "CONFIDENTIAL" or "HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL" as provided herein. Such information produced by Non-Parties in connection with this litigation is protected by the remedies and relief provided by this Stipulated Protective Order. Nothing in these provisions should be construed as prohibiting a Non-Party from seeking additional protections.

(b) In the event that a Party is required, by a valid discovery request, to produce a Non-Party's confidential information in its possession, and the Party is subject to an agreement, other than this Stipulated Protective Order, with the Non-Party not to produce the Non-Party's confidential information, then the Party shall:

1) promptly notify in writing the Requesting Party and the Non-Party that some or all of the information requested is subject to a confidentiality agreement with a Non-Party; 2) promptly provide the Non-Party with a copy of this Stipulated Protective Order, the relevant discovery request(s), and a reasonably specific description of the information requested; and 3) make the information requested available for inspection by the Non-Party.

(c) If the Non-Party fails to object or seek a protective order from this Court within 14 days of receiving the notice and accompanying information, the Receiving Party may produce the Non-Party's confidential information responsive to the discovery request. If the Non-Party timely seeks a protective order, the Receiving Party shall not produce any information in its possession or control that is subject to the confidentiality agreement with the Non-Party before a determination by the Court. Absent a court order to the contrary, the Non-Party shall bear the burden and expense of seeking protection in this Court of its Protected Material.

X. UNAUTHORIZED DISCLOSURE OF PROTECTED MATERIAL

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 Stipulated Protective Order, and (d) request such person or persons to execute the "Acknowledgment and Agreement to Be Bound" (Exhibit A).

XI. INADVERTENT PRODUCTION OF PRIVILEGED OR OTHERWISE PROTECTED MATERIAL

When a Producing Party gives notice to Receiving Parties that certain inadvertently produced material is Privileged Material, the Receiving Parties shall comply with Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 26(b)(5)(B). Pursuant to Federal Rule of Evidence 502(d) and (e), the Parties agree, and the Court orders, that the procedure set forth below provides the Producing Party a method for retrieving or "clawing back" inadvertently produced Privileged Material, subject to any resolution of any dispute over the privileged or protected status of the Privileged Material, and for foreclosing any arguments of waiver, subject to the procedures outlined below for bringing disputed claims to the Court for resolution.

(a) If a Producing Party has a good faith belief that Privileged Material has been inadvertently produced, and at any time notifies Receiving Parties in writing that the Producing Party disclosed Privileged Material (an "Inadvertent Disclosure Notice"), or any Party or Non-Party receiving Privileged Material discovers such disclosure (in which case the Receiving Party shall give the Producing Party prompt written notice), then, consistent with Federal Rule of Evidence 502(d), the inadvertent production of Privileged Material shall not be deemed a waiver — in the above-captioned action or in any other proceeding, including in Federal, State, arbitral or foreign proceedings — of the applicable privilege, protection, or prohibition from disclosure.

(b) Upon receipt of any Inadvertent Disclosure Notice claiming that a document is or includes Privileged Material, all other Parties (regardless of whether they agree with the claim of privilege or work-product protection) shall promptly:

1) use reasonable efforts to destroy or sequester all copies of the inadvertently produced documents or material in their possession, custody, or control and notify the Producing Party that they have done so; and 2) take reasonable steps to retrieve and destroy or sequester the inadvertently produced documents or material from other persons, if any, to whom such documents or material have been provided consistent with Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 26(b)(5)(B), and notify the Producing Party that they have done so.

(c) To the extent a Receiving Party disputes the claim of privilege or work-product protection (the "Disputing Party"), the Disputing Party shall notify in writing the Producing Party of its position within thirty (30) days of receiving the Inadvertent Disclosure Notice (a "Dispute Notification"). Within seven (7) days of receiving the Dispute Notification, the Producing Party shall either withdraw its claim of privilege or confer with the Disputing Party in an effort to resolve their disagreement. If no such resolution is reached, the Disputing Party may apply to the Court for a ruling on the Producing Party's claim of privilege. In arguing issues concerning protection for material claimed to constitute Privileged Material, no Party shall assert as a basis for the relief it seeks (including if a Receiving Party seeks a ruling that the disclosed information was never privileged) the fact or circumstance that such documents have already been inadvertently produced in the above-captioned action. However, the Receiving Party must comply with the provisions of Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 26(b)(5)(B) and paragraph (b) above regardless of whether it disputes the claim of privilege or work-product protection.

(d) If, during a deposition, a Party claims that a document being used in the deposition (e.g., marked as an exhibit, shown to the witness, or made the subject of examination) is subject to privilege or work-product protection, it may at its sole election (a) allow the document to be used in the deposition without waiver of its claim of privilege or work-product protection or (b) consistent with Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 30(h)(3), instruct the witness not to answer questions concerning the document pending a prompt resolution of any disagreement concerning the document's privileged or work-product protected status. If the Party allows the examination concerning the document to proceed on a non-waiver basis, the Parties shall sequester all copies of the purportedly privileged or work-product protected document. Immediately following the deposition, the Parties will commence the procedure outlined in the preceding paragraphs to address the claim of privilege or other protection as to both the privileged document and any testimony provided concerning the document. If a Party disputes the claim of privilege or work-product protection, then until the dispute is resolved, no persons other than Outside Counsel of Record in this action and those present at the deposition will have any access to the inadvertently produced document and any testimony related thereto. If the Party instructs the witness not to answer questions concerning the document, the Parties will then cooperate in promptly submitting the issue of the document's status to the Court.

XII. MISCELLANEOUS

12.1 Right to Further Relief. Nothing in this Stipulated Protective Order abridges the right of any person to seek its modification by the Court in the future.

12.2 Right to Assert Other Objections. By stipulated to the entry of this Stipulated Protective Order no Party waives any right it otherwise would have to object to disclosing or producing any information or item on any ground not addressed in this Stipulated Protective Order. Similarly, no Party waives any right to object on any ground to use in evidence of any of the material covered by this Stipulated Protective Order.

12.3 Filing Protected Material. Without written permission from the Designating Party or a court order secured after appropriate notice to all interested persons, a Party other than the Designating Party or Producing Party may not file in the public record in this action any Protected Material. A Party that seeks to file under seal any Protected Material must comply with Civil Local Rule 79-5. Protected Material may only be filed under seal pursuant to a court order authorizing the sealing of the specific Protected Material at issue. Pursuant to Civil Local Rule 79-5, a sealing order will issue only upon a request establishing that the Protected Material at issue is privileged, protectable as a trade secret, or otherwise entitled to protection under the law. If a Receiving Party's request to file Protected Material under seal pursuant to Civil Local Rule 79-5(d) is denied by the Court in its entirety pursuant to Civil Local Rule 79-5(f)(2), then the Receiving Party and Designating Party must, within 3 days of such Order, meet and confer to attempt to agree upon a redacted version of the Protected Material that the Receiving Party may file in the public record, unless otherwise instructed by the Court. If no agreement is reached with respect to a redacted version of the document to be filed, the Receiving Party may file the Protected Material in the Public Record pursuant to pursuant to Civil Local Rule 79-5(f)(2).

XIII. FINAL DISPOSITION

Within 60 days after the final disposition of this action, as defined in paragraph 4, each Receiving Party must return all Protected Material to the Producing Party or destroy such material. As used in this subdivision, "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 60 day deadline confirming that (1) the Protected Material in the possession of the Receiving Party has been returned or destroyed in accordance with this Stipulated Protective Order and (2) the Receiving Party has not retained any copies, abstracts, compilations, summaries, or any other format reproducing or capturing any of the Protected Material. 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 remain subject to this Stipulated Protective Order as set forth in paragraph 4.

IT IS SO STIPULATED, through Counsel of Record.

I, Laura Kabler Oswell, am the ECF user whose ID and password are being used to file this Stipulated Protective Order. In compliance with General Order No. 45, X.B., I hereby attest that Jon L. Rewinski has concurred in this filing.

_____________________________ Laura Kabler Oswell

* * *

IT IS ORDERED that the forgoing Stipulated Protective Order is APPROVED.

EXHIBIT A

ACKNOWLEDGMENT AND AGREEMENT TO BE BOUND

I, ____________________________ [print or type full name], of __________________ [print or type full address], declare that I have read in its entirety and understand the Stipulated Protective Order that was issued by the United States District Court for the Northern District of California on [date] in the case of Via Licensing Corporation v. Haier America Trading, LLC, No. 3:17-cv-03485-RS. 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 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 Northern 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.

I hereby appoint _______________________________ [print or type full name] of _________________________________________ [print or type full address and telephone number] as my California agent for service of process in connection with this action or any proceedings related to enforcement of this Stipulated Protective Order.

Date: ___________________________________________ City and State where sworn and signed: ______________________________________ Printed name: ______________________________________ Signature: _________________________________________

FootNotes


1. "CONFIDENTIAL" information or items may be disclosed to an Expert without disclosure of the identity of the Expert as long as the Expert it not a current officer, director, or employee of a competitor of a Party or anticipated to become one.
Source:  Leagle

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