I/P Engine, Inc. v. AOL, Inc. et al

Filing 118

Memorandum in Support re 117 MOTION to Compel Plaintiff I/P Engine's Motion to Compel Defendant Google, Inc.'s Custodial Document Production filed by I/P Engine, Inc.. (Attachments: # 1 Exhibit 1, # 2 Exhibit 2, # 3 Exhibit 3, # 4 Exhibit 4, # 5 Exhibit 5, # 6 Exhibit 6, # 7 Exhibit 7, # 8 Exhibit 8, # 9 Exhibit 9, # 10 Exhibit 10, # 11 Exhibit 11, # 12 Exhibit 12, # 13 Exhibit 13, # 14 Exhibit 14, # 15 Exhibit 15, # 16 Exhibit 16, # 17 Exhibit 17, # 18 Exhibit 18, # 19 Exhibit 19, # 20 Exhibit 20, # 21 Exhibit 21, # 22 Proposed Order)(Sherwood, Jeffrey)

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Exhibit 5  DICKSTEI NS HAP I ROLLP 1825 Eye Street NW I Washington, DC 200065403 (202) 420-2200 I FAX (202) 420-2201 I dicksteinshapiro.com TEL January 10,2012 Via E-mail Margaret P. Kammerud, Esq. Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP 50 California Street, 22nd Floor San Francisco, CA 94111 Re: Google's Proposed Custodians and Search Terms Dear Meg: liP Engine, Inc. ("liP Engine") received Google, Inc.'s ("Google") letter of January 9, 2012. liP Engine believes Google's proposed search terms will not result in discovery that is adequately responsive to lIP Engine's requests. The majority ofI/P Engine's discovery requests are focused upon Google's accused systems, yet Google's proposed search terms are limited to nothing more than Google's knowledge of the asserted patents. As we understand your letter, Google has agreed to the following search terms: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 5867799 or 5,867,799 or (799 12 patent) '664 or 6,775,664 or 6775664 or 101045,198 '420 or 6,314,420 or 6314420 or 09/204,149 pat* w/4 (664 or 420) appl * w/4 (198 or 149) liP Engine (Andrew or Ken) w/3 Lang (Donald or Don) w/3 Kosak demand search scan 13 search 13 network (content based filter) or (content-based filter) collaborative feedback data informon Lycos content 12 profile ((collaborative filter) or (collaborative filtering)) /1 0 ((content filter) or (content filtering) ) (hybrid 12 filter) or (hybrid 12 filtering) Wisewire Los Angeles I New York I Orange County I Silicon Valley I Stamford I Washington, DC DSMDB-30 17041 DICKSTEINSHAPI ROLLP Margaret P. Kammerud, Esq. January 10,2012 Page 2 We note that virtually all of these search terms appear to relate to liP Engine's document requests that are related to Google's knowledge of the asserted patents. We believe that it is incumbent upon Google to comply with its obligations to search for and produce responsive documents relating to IIP Engine's requests for testing documents, comparison documents, damages-related documents, marketing documents, indemnification documents, etc. Your January 9 letter asserts that IIP Engine's "broad, meaningless [proposed] search terms [are] improper and [do] nothing to assist the parties in moving forward with discovery in a timely manner." Google, however, has yet to propose one search term not related to Google's knowledge of the asserted patents. You have not disputed that Google has an obligation to produce responsive, non-privileged documents that are requested by IIP Engine and are relevant to this litigation. lIP Engine, in good faith, proposed search terms that it believes will be helpful based on its limited review and knowledge of Google's technical documents. Based on liP Engine's document requests themselves and the meet and confers the parties have held thus far regarding Google's production, it is clear which documents IIP Engine seeks. We expect Google to comply with its discovery obligations, even as it refuses to accept IIP Engine's suggested search terms. With regard to proposed custodians, IIP Engine suggested three reasonable additional custodians one of which (Mr. Jeff Huber) led the overall engineering and development for Google's advertising products from 2003-2011. Is it Google's position that Mr. Huber, given his immediate past role at Google, would not have information in his custodial file that is relevant to IIP Engine's claims during the period relevant to this litigation? If so, please provide the basis for that position. IIP Engine believes that Mr. Huber is an obvious example of an appropriate custodian. A similar rationale applies to Mr. Jack Ancone. These two individuals were identified as Google' s most knowledge AdWords witnesses in the Bright Response trial held just 17 months ago. IIP Engine also proposed an as of yet unidentified Head of Testing person as a suggestion to address IIP Engine's requests for testing documents related to the 2005 transition to the new Quality Score version of AdWords including the transition between "DumbASS" and "SmartASS." The critical factors for identifying an appropriate custodian, however, are whether the custodian has custody of an appropriate scope of responsive documents and an appropriate degree of responsive knowledge. Please confirm that Google affirmatively represents that custodians it designates are responsive to IIP Engine's requests for discovery from persons most knowledgeable about the testing and quality assessments of Google's changes that are contemplated and made to Google's AdWords system. As for Mr. Hal Varian, Google holds him out as an authority on Quality Score (see e.g., IPE 0000070-79), and Google's own documents reflect that Mr. Varian is heavily involved in the design, development, and decision making processes related to Google's AdWords systems. See e.g., G-IPE-0000378-81, G-IPE-001584044, G-IPE-0001629, and G-IPE-0000078. DSMDB-3017041 DICKSTEINSHAPI ROLLP Margaret P. Kammerud, Esq. January 10,2012 Page 3 We look forward to your response. lIP Engine remains willing to meet and confer to resolve these issues, and likewise hopes that the parties can work together to a solution. We propose having a meet and confer teleconference on January 11,2012. In the meantime, please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions. Bes.t re?ard~. ,7 /1 1+.(1 . . ~(/f~'f~ ~arles J. M~ntkio Jr. (202) 420-5167 MonterioC@dicksteinshapiro.com CJM/ cc: Stephen E. Noona David Bilsker Kenneth W. Brothers Jeffrey K. Sherwood DeAnna Allen DSMDB-3017041

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