Interval Licensing LLC v. AOL, Inc. et al

Filing 91

MOTION to Dismiss Joinder in Defs Google Inc. and YouTube's Motion to Dismiss or Sever for Misjoinder by Defendant Facebook Inc. (Attachments: #1 Proposed Order) Noting Date 11/12/2010, (Durbin, Christopher)

Interval Licensing LLC v. eBay, Inc. et al

Doc. 91

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DEFENDANT FACEBOOK, INC.'S JOINDER IN GOOGLE'S MOTION TO DISMISS OR SEVER 2:10 -cv-01385-MJP

HONORABLE MARSHA J. PECHMAN

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT WESTERN DISTRICT OF WASHINGTON AT SEATTLE

INTERVAL LICENSING LLC, Plaintiff, v. AOL, INC., et al., Defendants.

Case No. No. 2:10-cv-01385-MJP DEFENDANT FACEBOOK, INC.'S JOINDER IN DEFENDANTS GOOGLE INC. AND YOUTUBE, LLC'S MOTION TO DISMISS OR SEVER FOR MISJOINDER PURSUANT TO FED. R. CIV. P. 20 AND 21 NOTED ON MOTION CALENDAR: November 12, 2010

I.

INTRODUCTION AND RELIEF REQUESTED

Defendant Facebook Inc. ("Facebook") respectfully joins in Defendants Google Inc. and YouTube, LLC's Motion to Dismiss or Sever for Misjoinder Pursuant to Fed. R. Civ. P. 20 and 21 ("Google's Motion to Sever"). (D.I. 63) As set forth in Google's Motion to Sever, Plaintiff Interval Licensing LLC ("Interval") has joined eleven unrelated entities in a single action for patent infringement without alleging any coordinated action between them or any right to relief that arises out of "the same transaction, occurrence, or series of transactions or occurrences." Fed. R. Civ. P. 20(a)(2)(A). Facebook should therefore be dropped from the instant action, or the claim against it should be severed.
COOLEY LLP 719 SECOND AVE., STE. 900 SEATTLE, WA 98104 /[phone]

Dockets.Justia.com

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II.

ARGUMENT

Under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure ("Rule") 20, a plaintiff cannot join multiple defendants unless two requirements are satisfied: transactional relatedness and commonality. FED. R. CIV. P. 20(a)(2); see Bravado Int'l Grp. Merch. Servs. v. Cha, No. 09-9066 PSG (CWx), 2010 WL 2650432, at *1 (C.D. Cal. June 30, 2010). Here, no such transactional relatedness exists, because the claims asserted against the other defendants have insufficient factual commonality with the single claim asserted against Facebook to be found to arise out of the same transaction. See, e.g., WiAV Networks, LLC v. 3Com Corp., No. 10-3448 WHA, 2010 WL 3895047, at *3­4 (N.D. Cal. Oct. 1, 2010) (in patent case asserting claims against "unrelated and competing defendants for their own independent acts of patent infringement," dismissing all but first named defendant for misjoinder). Thus, this Court may dismiss Facebook from this suit or sever the claim asserted against it, pursuant to Rule 21. Determination of infringement and remedies will be fact specific to each defendant. See Spread Spectrum Screening, LLC v. Eastman Kodak Co., No. 10 C 1101, 2010 WL 3516106, at *2 (N.D. Ill. Sept. 1, 2010). Facebook's products or services accused of infringement of U.S. patent No. 6,757,682 (the "'682 patent")1 are distinct from those products or services of the other defendants accused of infringement of the '682 patent, as well as distinct from those products or services of other defendants accused of infringement of the three additional patents-in-suit. Further, Interval did not allege that any coordination or common action by Defendants resulted in infringement. Finally, presentation of evidence of the other defendants' accused products or services and financial information, in particular when presented amidst additional patents not relevant to Facebook, would be prejudicial to Facebook at trial.2 As set forth in Defendant Facebook, Inc.'s Joinder in Defendants Google, Inc. and YouTube, LLC's Motion to Dismiss for Failure to State a Claim upon Which Relief Can Be Granted Pursuant to Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(b)(6), filed concurrently with this motion, and Google's Motion to Dismiss (D.I. 62), the complaint does not set forth any accused products or services. However, all of Facebook's products and services are distinct from the products and services of the other Defendants. Facebook concurs that coordination or consolidation of discovery, particularly for claim construction and validity purposes, may be employed to preserve judicial efficiency and party resources, and does not object to this Court hearing any re-filed case against Facebook.
DEFENDANT FACEBOOK, INC.'S JOINDER IN GOOGLE'S MOTION TO DISMISS OR SEVER 2:10-cv-01385-MJP
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COOLEY LLP 719 SECOND AVE., STE. 900 SEATTLE, WA 98104 /[phone]

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III.

CONCLUSION

For the foregoing reasons, and for the reasons discussed in Google's Motion to Sever, Facebook respectfully joins Google's Motion to Sever and requests that the Court dismiss Facebook from this case, or sever the claims against it, because joinder of the defendants here is improper. DATED this 22nd day of October, 2010. COOLEY LLP /s/ Christopher B. Durbin Christopher B. Durbin (WSBA #41159) COOLEY LLP 719 Second Avenue, Suite 900 Seattle, WA 98104 Tel: [phone] Fax: [phone] Email: [e-mail] COOLEY LLP Michael G. Rhodes (pro hac vice pending) 101 California St., 5th Floor San Francisco, CA 94111-5800 Tel: [phone] Fax: [phone] Heidi L. Keefe (pro hac vice pending) Mark R. Weinstein (pro hac vice pending) Christen M.R. Dubois (pro hac vice pending) Elizabeth L. Stameshkin (pro hac vice pending) 3175 Hanover St. Palo Alto, CA 94304-1130 Tel: [phone] Fax: [phone] Attorneys for Defendant FACEBOOK, INC.

DEFENDANT FACEBOOK, INC.'S JOINDER IN GOOGLE'S MOTION TO DISMISS OR SEVER 2:10-cv-01385-MJP

3.

COOLEY LLP 719 SECOND AVE., STE. 900 SEATTLE, WA 98104 /[phone]

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CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE 2:10 -CV-01385-MJP

CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE I hereby certify that on October 22, 2010, I electronically filed the following document(s): DEFENDANT FACEBOOK, INC.'S JOINDER IN DEFEDANTS GOOGLE INC. AND YOUTUBE, LLC'S MOTION TO DISMISS OR SEVER FOR MISJOINDER PURSUANT TO FED. R. CIV. P. 20 AND 21 with the Clerk of the Court using the CM/ECF system, which will send an email notification of such filing to the attorney(s) of record listed below. Justin A. Nelson Matthew R. Berry Susman Godfrey 1201 Third Avenue, Suite 3800 Seattle, WA 98101 Attorneys for Plaintiff Interval Licensing LLC Eric J. Enger Michael F. Heim Nathan J. Davis HEIM PAYNE & CHORUSH LLP 600 Travis Street, Suite 6710 Houston, TX 77002 Attorneys for Plaintiff Interval Licensing LLC Max L. Tribble SUSMAN GODFREY 1000 Lousiana Street, Suite 5100 Houston, TX 77002 Attorneys for Plaintiff Interval Licensing LLC Brian M. Berliner Neil L. Yang O'MELVENY & MYERS LLP 400 South Hope Street, Suite 1050 Los Angeles, CA 90071 Attorneys for Defendant Apple, Inc. By Electronic CM/ECF: [e-mail] [e-mail]

By Electronic CM/ECF: [e-mail] [e-mail] [e-mail]

By Electronic CM/ECF: [e-mail]

By Electronic CM/ECF: [e-mail] [e-mail]

1.

COOLEY LLP 719 SECOND AVE., STE. 900 SEATTLE, WA 98104 / [phone]

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CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE 2:10 -cv-01385-MJP
COOLEY LLP 719 Second Ave., Ste. 900 Seattle, WA 98104 / [phone]

David Almeling George A. Riley O'MELVENY & MYERS LLP Two Embarcadero Center, 28th Floor San Francisco, CA 94111 Attorneys for Defendant Apple, Inc. Jeremy E. Roller Scott T. Wilsdon YARMUTH WILSDON CALFO PLLC 818 Stewart Street, Suite 1400 Seattle, WA 98101 Attorneys for Defendant Apple, Inc. J. Christopher Carraway John D. Vandenberg KLARQUIST SPARKMAN 121SW Salmon Street, Suite 1600 Portland, OR 97204 Attorneys for eBay, Inc.; Netflix, Inc.; Office Depot, Inc.; and Staples, Inc. Aneelah Afzali Scott A.W. Johnson Shannon M. Jost STOKES LAWRENCE 800 5th Avenue, Suite 4000 Seattle, WA 98104-3179 Attorneys for Defendants Google, Inc. and YouTube LLC Dimtrios T. Drivas John Handy Kevin X. McGann Aaron Chase WHITE & CASE 1155 Avenue of the Americas New York, NY 10036 Attorneys for Defendants Google, Inc. and YouTube LLC

By Electronic CM/ECF: [e-mail] [e-mail]

By Electronic CM/ECF: [e-mail] [e-mail]

By Electronic CM/ECF: [e-mail] [e-mail]

By Electronic CM/ECF: [e-mail] [e-mail] [e-mail]

By Electronic CM/ECF: [e-mail] [e-mail] [e-mail] [e-mail]

2.

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CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE 2:10 -cv-01385-MJP
COOLEY LLP 719 Second Ave., Ste. 900 Seattle, WA 98104 / [phone]

Warren S. Heit WHITE & CASE 3000 El Camino Real Bldg. 5, 9th Floor Palo Alto, CA 94306 Attorneys for Defendants Google, Inc. and YouTube LLC Michael D. Hunsinger THE HUNSINGER LAW FIRM 100 South King Street, Suite 400 Seattle, WA 98104 Attorneys for Defendant Office Depot, Inc. Edward J. Bennett WILLIAMS & CONNOLLY 712 12th Street NW Washington, DC 20005-5901 Attorneys for Defendant Office Depot, Inc. Kevin C. Baumgardner Steven W. Fogg CORR CRONIN MICHELSON BAUMGARDNER & PREECE 1001 4th Avenue, Suite 3900 Seattle, WA 98154 Attorneys for Defendant OfficeMax Inc. Jeffrey D. Neumeyer OFFICEMAS INCORPORATED 1111 West Jefferson Street P.O. Box 50 Boise, ID 83728 Attorneys for Defendant OfficeMax Inc. Douglas S. Rupert John L. Letchinger WILDMAN, HARROLD ALLEN & DIXON 225 West Wacker Drive, Suite 2700 Chicago, IL 60606 Attorneys for Defendant OfficeMax Inc.

By Electronic CM/ECF: [e-mail]

By Electronic CM/ECF: [e-mail]

By Electronic CM/ECF: [e-mail]

By Electronic CM/ECF: [e-mail] [e-mail]

By Electronic CM/ECF: [e-mail]

By Electronic CM/ECF: [e-mail] [e-mail]

3.

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CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE 2:10 -cv-01385-MJP
COOLEY LLP 719 Second Ave., Ste. 900 Seattle, WA 98104 / [phone]

Eric W. Ow Francis Ho Michael I. Kreeger Michael A. Jacobs Richard S. J. Hung MORRISON & FOERSTER 425 Market Street San Francisco, CA 94105 Attorneys for Defendants Yahoo! Inc. Mark P. Walters Dario A. Machleidt FROMMER LAWRENCE & HAUG LLP 1191 Second Avenue Seattle, WA 98101 Attorneys for Defendants Yahoo! Inc.

By Electronic CM/ECF: [e-mail] [e-mail] [e-mail] [e-mail] [e-mail]

By Electronic CM/ECF: [e-mail] [e-mail]

/s/Christopher B. Durbin Christopher B. Durbin (WSBA #41159) COOLEY LLP 719 Second Avenue, Suite 900 Seattle, WA 98104-1732 Telephone: [phone] Facsimile: [phone] Email: [e-mail] Attorneys for Defendant FACEBOOK, INC.

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