GSI Technology, Inc. v. United Memories, Inc.

Filing 365

ORDE RE: MOTION TO SEAL by Magistrate Judge Paul Singh Grewal granting-in-part and denying-in-part 352 . (psglc1S, COURT STAFF) (Filed on 1/26/2015)

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United States District Court
For the Northern District of California

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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

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NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

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SAN JOSE DIVISION

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GSI TECHNOLOGY, INC.,

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Plaintiff,
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v.
UNITED MEMORIES, INC., et al.,

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Defendants.

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Case No.: 5:13-cv-01081-PSG
ORDER RE: MOTION TO SEAL
(Re: Docket No. 352)

Before the court is an administrative motion to seal three documents. “Historically, courts

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have recognized a ‘general right to inspect and copy public records and documents, including

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judicial records and documents.’”1 Accordingly, when considering a sealing request, “a ‘strong

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presumption in favor of access’ is the starting point.”2 Parties seeking to seal judicial records

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Kamakana v. City & County of Honolulu, 447 F.3d 1172, 1178 (9th Cir. 2006) (quoting Nixon v.
Warner Commc’ns, Inc., 435 U.S. 589, 597 & n. 7 (1978)).
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Id. (quoting Foltz v. State Farm Mut. Auto. Ins. Co., 331 F.3d 1122, 1135 (9th Cir. 2003)).
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Case No.: 5:13-cv-01081-PSG
ORDER RE: MOTION TO SEAL

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relating to dispositive motions bear the burden of overcoming the presumption with “compelling
reasons” that outweigh the general history of access and the public policies favoring disclosure.3

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However, “while protecting the public's interest in access to the courts, we must remain

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mindful of the parties' right to access those same courts upon terms which will not unduly harm

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their competitive interest.”4 Records attached to nondispositive motions therefore are not subject

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to the strong presumption of access.5 Because the documents attached to nondispositive motions

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“are often unrelated, or only tangentially related, to the underlying cause of action,” parties moving
to seal must meet the lower “good cause” standard of Rule 26(c).6 As with dispositive motions, the

United States District Court
For the Northern District of California

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standard applicable to nondispositive motions requires a “particularized showing”7 that “specific

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prejudice or harm will result” if the information is disclosed.8 “Broad allegations of harm,

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unsubstantiated by specific examples of articulated reasoning” will not suffice.9 A protective order

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sealing the documents during discovery may reflect the court’s previous determination that good
cause exists to keep the documents sealed,10 but a blanket protective order that allows the parties to

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designate confidential documents does not provide sufficient judicial scrutiny to determine whether
each particular document should remain sealed.11

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Id. at 1178-79.

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Apple Inc. v. Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., 727 F.3d 1214, 1228-29 (Fed. Cir. 2013).

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See id. at 1180.

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Id. at 1179 (internal quotations and citations omitted).

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Id.

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Phillips ex rel. Estates of Byrd v. Gen. Motors Corp., 307 F.3d 1206, 1210-11 (9th Cir. 2002);
see Fed. R. Civ. P. 26(c).

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Beckman Indus., Inc. v. Int’l Ins. Co., 966 F.2d 470, 476 (9th Cir. 1992).
See Kamakana, 447 F.3d at 1179-80.

See Civ. L.R. 79-5(d)(1)(A) (“Reference to a stipulation or protective order that allows a party to
designate certain documents as confidential is not sufficient to establish that a document, or
portions thereof, are sealable.”).
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Case No.: 5:13-cv-01081-PSG
ORDER RE: MOTION TO SEAL

In addition to making particularized showings of good cause, parties moving to seal

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documents must comply with the procedures established by Civ. L.R. 79-5. Pursuant to

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Civ. L.R. 79-5(b), a sealing order is appropriate only upon a request that establishes the document

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is “sealable,” or “privileged or protectable as a trade secret or otherwise entitled to protection under

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the law.” “The request must be narrowly tailored to seek sealing only of sealable material, and
must conform with Civil L.R. 79-5(d).”12 “Within 4 days of the filing of the Administrative

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Motion to File Under Seal, the Designating Party must file a declaration as required by subsection
79-5(d)(1)(A) establishing that all of the designated material is sealable.”13
With these standards in mind, the courts rules on the instant motions as follows:

United States District Court
For the Northern District of California

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Motion
Docket No.
352-6

Document to be Sealed
Exhibit A to the
Declaration of Constance
F. Ramos

Result
UNSEALED.

Docket No.
352-7

Exhibit B to the
Declaration of Constance
F. Ramos

UNSEALED.

Docket No.
352-8

Exhibit F to the
Declaration of Constance
F. Ramos

Redacted portions indicated in
Docket No. 352-5 SEALED.

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Reason/Explanation
Supporting
declaration at Docket
No. 364 does not
request sealing.
Supporting
declaration at Docket
No. 364 does not
request sealing.
Narrowly tailored to
confidential business
information.

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SO ORDERED.
Dated: January 26, 2015

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_________________________________
PAUL S. GREWAL
United States Magistrate Judge

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Civ. L.R. 79-5(b). In part, Civ. L.R. 79-5(d) requires the submitting party to attach a “proposed
order that is narrowly tailored to seal only the sealable material” which “lists in table format each
document or portion thereof that is sought to be sealed,” Civ. L.R. 79-5(d)(1)(b), and an
“unreadacted version of the document” that indicates “by highlighting or other clear method, the
portions of the document that have been omitted from the redacted version.”
Civ. L.R. 79-5(d)(1)(d).

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Civ. L.R. 79-5(e)(1).
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Case No.: 5:13-cv-01081-PSG
ORDER RE: MOTION TO SEAL