MyMedicalRecords Inc v. Jardogs LLC
Filing
54
ORDER by Judge Otis D. Wright, II: granting 39 Allscripts Motion to Dismiss and DISMISSES plaintiffs claims against Allscripts contained in the First Amended Complaint WITHOUT PREJUDICE. Plaintiff may file its second amended complaint within 14 days. (lc). Modified on 1/6/2014 .(lc).
O
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
9
CENTRAL DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA
10
11
MYMEDICALRECORDS, INC.,
12
v.
13
14
Case No. 2:13-cv-03560-ODW(SHx)
Plaintiff,
JARDOGS, LLC; ALLSCRIPTS
HEALTHCARE SOLUTIONS, INC.,
15
Defendants.
16
I.
ORDER GRANTING MOTION TO
DISMISS FIRST AMENDED
COMPLAINT WITHOUT
PREJUDICE [39]
INTRODUCTION
17
Plaintiff MyMedicalRecords, Inc. (“MMR”) owns United States Patents on
18
several electronic health-information technology products, including one called
19
MyMedicalRecords. Defendant Allscripts Healthcare Solutions, Inc. produces two
20
competing products called FollowMyHealth and Patient Portal. MMR contends that
21
these products directly and indirectly infringe two of MMR’s patents.
22
Allscripts points out, MMR’s First Amended Complaint lacks any allegations
23
establishing that Allscripts knew of the patents prior to this suit being filed, which is
24
necessary to state a claim for induced, contributory, and willful patent infringement.
25
The Court therefore GRANTS Allscripts’s Motion to Dismiss WITHOUT
26
PREJUDICE.1
But as
27
28
1
After carefully considering the papers filed with respect to this Motion, the Court deems the matter
appropriate for decision without oral argument. Fed. R. Civ. P. 78; L.R. 7-15.
II.
1
FACTUAL BACKGROUND
MMR owns various electronic healthcare-information technology products,
2
3
including one called MyMedicalRecords.
(FAC ¶ 7.)
The MyMedicalRecords
4
product allows users to collect and safely maintain their personal health information
5
and access it via the Internet. (Id. ¶ 8.) Among others, MMR owns U.S. Patent Nos.
6
8,301,466 and 8,498,883 relating to its products. (Id. ¶ 11.)
7
Around March 2013, Allscripts acquired Defendant Jardogs, LLC. (Id. ¶ 13.)
8
Jardogs also provides health-information services to consumers, including via its
9
FollowMyHealth Universal Health Record product. (Id. ¶ 12.) As a result of its
10
acquisition, Allscripts maintains and produces the FollowMyHealth product. (Id.
11
¶ 13.) Allscripts also produces its own product: the Allscripts Patient Portal. (Id.)
12
On November 5, 2013, MMR filed its First Amended Complaint against
13
Jardogs and Allscripts. (ECF No. 30.) MMR alleges that Allscripts infringes the ’466
14
and ’883 Patents by “making, using, offering for sale, and/or selling in the United
15
States certain method or systems disclosed and claimed in the ’466 Patent, including,
16
but not limited to Defendants’ FollowMyHealth product and the Allscripts Patient
17
Portal.” (FAC ¶ 16, 25.) MMR further alleges that Allscripts indirectly induced
18
distributors, agents, resellers, and users to infringe one or more claims of the ’466 and
19
’883 Patents. (Id. ¶¶ 17, 27.) Finally, MMR contends that Allscripts contributorily
20
infringed the ’883 Patent through the FollowMyHealth and Patient Portal products.
21
(Id. ¶ 26.)
MMR additionally alleges that Allscripts’s alleged infringement was willful,
22
23
thus rendering the case “exceptional” under 35 U.S.C. § 285. (Id. ¶¶ 18, 28.)
24
On December 5, 2013, Allscripts moved to dismiss MMR’s First Amended
25
Complaint. (ECF No. 39.) MMR timely opposed. (ECF No. 44.) That Motion is
26
now before the Court for decision.
27
///
28
///
2
III.
1
LEGAL STANDARD
2
A court may dismiss a complaint under Rule 12(b)(6) for lack of a cognizable
3
legal theory or insufficient facts pleaded to support an otherwise cognizable legal
4
theory. Balistreri v. Pacifica Police Dep’t, 901 F.2d 696, 699 (9th Cir. 1990). To
5
survive a dismissal motion, a complaint need only satisfy the minimal notice pleading
6
requirements of Rule 8(a)(2)—a short and plain statement of the claim. Porter v.
7
Jones, 319 F.3d 483, 494 (9th Cir. 2003). The factual “allegations must be enough to
8
raise a right to relief above the speculative level.” Bell Atl. Corp. v. Twombly, 550
9
U.S. 544, 555 (2007). That is, the complaint must “contain sufficient factual matter,
10
accepted as true, to state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face.” Ashcroft v.
11
Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678 (2009).
12
The determination whether a complaint satisfies the plausibility standard is a
13
“context-specific task that requires the reviewing court to draw on its judicial
14
experience and common sense.” Id. at 679. A court is generally limited to the
15
pleadings and must construe all “factual allegations set forth in the complaint . . . as
16
true and . . . in the light most favorable” to the plaintiff. Lee v. City of L.A., 250 F.3d
17
668, 688 (9th Cir. 2001). But a court need not blindly accept conclusory allegations,
18
unwarranted deductions of fact, and unreasonable inferences. Sprewell v. Golden
19
State Warriors, 266 F.3d 979, 988 (9th Cir. 2001).
IV.
20
DISCUSSION
Allscripts moves to dismiss MMR’s patent-infringement claims.
21
Allscripts
22
maintains that MMR failed to allege that Allscripts knew of the ’466 or ’883 Patents
23
prior to MMR filing suit, which is required to establish indirect and willful
24
infringement. MMR does not rebut Allscripts’s arguments—instead opting to attach a
25
second amended complaint as an exhibit.
26
Motion.
27
///
28
///
3
The Court thus GRANTS Allscript’s
1
A.
Presuit knowledge
2
Allscripts first argues that MMR failed to allege that Allscripts had any presuit
3
knowledge of the ’466 or ’883 Patents sufficient to establish any of MMR’s indirect-
4
or willful-infringement claims. Allscripts also contends that MMR’s First Amended
5
Complaint lacks any allegations concerning whether Allscripts knew that the acts it
6
allegedly induced constituted infringement.
7
1.
Indirect infringement
8
The Patent Act establishes two types of indirect infringement: (1) induced
9
infringement under 35 U.S.C. § 271(b), and (2) contributory infringement under 35
10
U.S.C. § 271(c).
Section 271(b) renders liable anyone who “actively induces
11
infringement of a patent.” Section 271(c) reads:
12
Whoever offers to sell or sells within the United States or imports into
13
the United States a component of a patented machine, manufacture,
14
combination or composition, or a material or apparatus for use in
15
practicing a patented process, constituting a material part of the
16
invention, knowing the same to be especially made or especially adapted
17
for use in an infringement of such patent, and not a staple article or
18
commodity of commerce suitable for substantial noninfringing use, shall
19
be liable as a contributory infringer.
20
The United States Supreme Court has implicitly held that the defendant must
21
have had presuit knowledge of the patent in order for a plaintiff to establish induced
22
infringement under § 271(b). Global-Tech Appliances, Inc. v. SEB S.A., 131 S. Ct.
23
2060, 2068 (2011) (“It would thus be strange to hold that knowledge of the relevant
24
patent is needed under § 271(c) but not under § 271(b).”). Induced-infringement
25
liability also requires that the defendant knows that the induced acts constitute patent
26
infringement. Id.
27
While the Supreme Court has addressed the induced-infringement liability
28
standards, it has not answered whether these standards also constitute pleading
4
1
requirements. But several lower courts have held that a plaintiff must allege presuit
2
knowledge in order to properly state an induced-infringement claim.
3
Proxyconn Inc. v. Microsoft Corp., SACV 11-1681-DOC(ANx), 2012 WL 1835680,
4
at *6 (C.D. Cal. May 16, 2012); McRee v. Goldman, 11-CV-00991-LHK, 2011 WL
5
4831199, at *5 (N.D. Cal. Oct. 12, 2011).
See, e.g.,
6
A majority of the Supreme Court has held that § 271(c) “does require a showing
7
that the alleged contributory infringer knew that the combination for which his
8
component was especially designed was both patented and infringing.” Aro Mfg. Co.
9
v. Convertible Top Replacement Co., 377 U.S. 476, 488 (1964). But as with induced
10
infringement, the Court did not address whether this knowledge standard applies to a
11
plaintiff’s pleading burden.
12
Allscripts argues that the First Amended Complaint is devoid of any allegations
13
establishing that Allscripts had any knowledge of either the ’466 or ’883 Patents prior
14
to MMR filing suit. MMR does not rebut this contention; rather, it asks the Court to
15
accept a second amended complaint and proceeds to analyze the proffered
16
amendment.
17
Allscripts correctly asserts that MMR’s First Amended Complaint lacks any
18
allegation that Allscripts knew of either patent prior to MMR filing suit. While case
19
law is not settled with respect to whether a plaintiff must allege presuit knowledge in
20
its complaint, it makes good sense to require a plaintiff to at least make out the
21
barebones elements of its claims in order to satisfy the “short and plain statement of
22
the claim” required by Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 8. If a plaintiff cannot
23
competently allege presuit knowledge, that failure raises serious questions about
24
whether it can prove that knowledge—a necessary element of any indirect-
25
infringement claim—later in the case.
26
Since MMR failed to allege presuit knowledge, the Court must dismiss MMR’s
27
induced- and contributory-infringement claims.
28
address whether its proposed second amended complaint satisfies its pleading burden,
5
While MMR asks the Court to
1
the Court cannot opine on something not yet ripe for review. See S. Pac. Transp. Co.
2
v. City of L.A., 922 F.2d 498, 502 (9th Cir. 1990). The Court therefore GRANTS
3
Allscripts’s Motion to Dismiss on this ground.
4
2.
5
To establish willful infringement, “a patentee must show by clear and
6
convincing evidence that the infringer acted despite an objectively high likelihood that
7
its actions constituted infringement of a valid patent.” In re Seagate Tech., LLC, 497
8
F.3d 1360, 1371 (Fed. Cir. 2007). If the plaintiff establishes that risk, it must then
9
show that the objectively defined risk “was either known or so obvious that it should
10
Willful infringement
have been known to the accused infringer.” Id.
California federal courts have taken the view that a plaintiff must plead presuit
11
12
knowledge in order to adequately plead willful infringement.
E.g., Seoul Laser
13
Dieboard Sys. Co., Ltd. v. Serviform, S.r.l., --- F. Supp. 2d --- (S.D. Cal. July 16,
14
2013); Avocet Sports Tech., Inc. v. Garmin Int’l, Inc., C 11-04049 JW, 2012 WL
15
1030031, at *4 (N.D. Cal. Mar. 22, 2012).
16
Allscripts argues that a party cannot willfully infringe a patent of which the
17
party had no knowledge. Allscripts points out that the First Amended Complaint does
18
not contain any allegations establishing that Allscripts knew of either the ’466 or ’883
19
Patents prior to being sued. MMR again does not contest this assertion.
20
Regardless of whether a plaintiff must plead presuit knowledge to state a
21
willful-infringement claim, MMR has not alleged any facts establishing an objectively
22
defined risk that Allscripts’s actions infringed MMR’s patents or that the risk was
23
“known or so obvious that it should have been known” to Allscripts. See Seagate, 497
24
F.3d at 1371. The Court consequently GRANTS Allscripts’s Motion on this ground.
25
B.
Specific intent to induce infringement
26
The Federal Circuit has held that a plaintiff’s complaint must contain facts
27
plausibly demonstrating that the defendant specifically intended its customers to
28
infringe the patent and knew that the customer’s acts constituted infringement. In re
6
1
Bill of Lading Transmission & Processing Sys. Patent Litig., 681 F.3d 1323, 1339
2
(Fed. Cir. 2012). Mere knowledge is not sufficient; intent to induce infringement is
3
the criterion. DSU Med. Corp. v. JMS Co., Ltd., 471 F.3d 1293, 1305–06 (Fed. Cir.
4
2006).
5
As with MMR’s other claims, the First Amended Complaint lacks any
6
allegations establishing that Allscripts specifically intended to induce infringement of
7
the ’466 or ’883 Patents. The Court thus GRANTS Allscripts’s Motion on this
8
ground.
9
C.
Contributory infringement: substantial non-infringing uses
10
Allscripts next argues that MMR failed to allege that Allscripts’s products lack
11
any substantial non-infringing uses as required for contributory infringement. As the
12
Federal Circuit has held, to “state a claim for contributory infringement . . . , a
13
plaintiff must, among other things, plead facts that allow an inference that the
14
components sold or offered for sale have no substantial non-infringing uses.” In re
15
Bill of Lading, 681 F.3d at 1337.
16
The First Amended Complaint is devoid of any reference to substantial non-
17
infringing uses. MMR simply alleges that “Allscripts has contributorily infringed and
18
is currently contributorily infringing the ’883 Patent by making, using, offering for
19
sale, and/or selling in the United States certain methods or systems disclosed and
20
claimed in the ’883 Patent, including, but not limited to Defendant’s FollowMyHealth
21
and Patient Portal products.” (FAC ¶ 26.) Since MMR has failed to state a claim for
22
contributory infringement, the Court GRANTS Allscripts’s Motion on this ground.
23
See Seoul Laster Dieboard Sys., --- F. Supp. 2d --- (“The Court may not supply
24
essential elements of the claim that do not appear in the Complaint.”).
25
D.
Leave to amend
26
Allscripts lastly argues that the Court should not allow MMR leave to amend,
27
because MMR had three opportunities to file a proper complaint with respect to the
28
FollowMyHealth product but has failed to address its pleading shortcomings.
7
1
A court may only dismiss a complaint without leave to amend if “the court
2
determines that the allegation of other facts consistent with the challenged pleading
3
could not possibly cure the deficiency.” Schreiber Distrib. Co. v. Serv-Well Furniture
4
Co., 806 F.2d 1393, 1401 (9th Cir.1986).
5
Despite Allscripts’s arguments, this Motion is the first time that MMR’s
6
allegations have run the judicial gauntlet. While MMR may have fallen this time, the
7
Court cannot say that MMR is down for the count. The Court accordingly will allow
8
MMR leave to file a second amended complaint.
V.
9
CONCLUSION
10
For the reasons discussed above, the Court GRANTS Allscripts’s Motion to
11
Dismiss and DISMISSES MMR’s claims against Allscripts contained in the First
12
Amended Complaint WITHOUT PREJUDICE. (ECF No. 39.) MMR may file its
13
second amended complaint within 14 days.
14
IT IS SO ORDERED.
15
16
January 6, 2014
17
18
19
____________________________________
OTIS D. WRIGHT, II
UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
8
Disclaimer: Justia Dockets & Filings provides public litigation records from the federal appellate and district courts. These filings and docket sheets should not be considered findings of fact or liability, nor do they necessarily reflect the view of Justia.
Why Is My Information Online?