Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-cand-3_06-cv-02306/USCOURTS-cand-3_06-cv-02306-6/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 820
Nature of Suit: Copyright
Cause of Action: 17:101 Copyright Infringement

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United States District Court

For the Northern District of California

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

PACIFIC INFORMATION RESOURCES,

INC.,

Plaintiff,

 v.

DIANA MUSSELMAN, et al.,

Defendants

 /

No. C-06-2306 MMC

ORDER RE: ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE;

SETTING DEADLINE FOR PLAINTIFF

TO FILE THIRD AMENDED COMPLAINT

By order filed November 1, 2006, the Court directed plaintiff Pacific Information

Resources, Inc. to show cause why its claims against defendants other than Diana

Musselman (“Musselman”) should not be dismissed, on the ground such defendants are

not properly joined herein. Further, the Court dismissed, with leave to amend, plaintiff’s

Fourth Claim for Relief in the Second Amended Complaint (“SAC”), and stated it would set

a deadline by which plaintiff may amend after completion of briefing on the joinder issue.

Now before the Court is plaintiff’s response to the Court’s order to show cause as

well as two replies thereto filed, respectively, by Musselman and by Airon Corporation,

Alexei Borisov, and Levon Gasparian (collectively, “Airon Defendants”). Having reviewed

plaintiff’s response to the order to show cause and the above-referenced replies, the Court

rules as follows:

Case 3:06-cv-02306-MMC Document 102 Filed 01/05/07 Page 1 of 3
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The Airon Defendants have offered evidence to contest plaintiff’s showing, (see

Gasparian Decl. ¶ 4), thus indicating a disputed issue of fact as to the propriety of their

joinder exists. The Court, by the instant order, does not resolve such dispute.

2

Rule 20(a) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure provides that multiple defendants

may be joined in a single action “if there is asserted against them jointly, severally, or in the

alternative, any right to relief in respect of or arising out of the same transaction,

occurrence, or series of transactions or occurrences and if any question of law or fact

common to all defendants will arise in the action.” See Fed. R. Civ. P. 20(a).

Here, plaintiff alleges that 21 defendants have infringed plaintiff’s copyrights by

operating websites that contain material misappropriated from a website operated by

plaintiff, and that each such defendant, in engaging in the asserted infringement, acted as

an “agent” of the other defendants. (See SAC ¶¶ 21, 39-40.) In light of defendant

Musselman’s having offered, in support of her previously-filed motion for a more definite

statement, an affidavit denying she has ever been an agent for any other defendant, (see

Musselman Aff., filed October 20, 2006, ¶ 4), the Court ordered plaintiff to show cause why

its joinder of all defendants herein was proper.

In its response, plaintiff argues its “agency” allegation can be factually substantiated. 

Plaintiff relies on the declaration of Ran Libeskind, Ph.D., a computer scientist, who offers

the opinion that four of the various websites alleged by plaintiff to be infringing have an

“extraordinarily similar content and organization” that indicates “cooperation or collusion in

the design and implementation of [those] websites,” (see Libeskind Decl., filed November

18, 2006, ¶¶ 5, 20); of the 21 defendants named herein, 13 are alleged to operate at least

one of those four websites, specifically, the three Airon Defendants, Renee Dunbar, Peter

Dunbar, Paretolgic, Inc., Adrian Pereira, Elton Pereira, Jason-Leo Carvallo, Rosson

Ventures, Linda Rosson, Barry Rosson, and Matthew Rosson, (see Pl.’s Opp. to OSC at

8:4-24). As to those 13 defendants, the Court finds plaintiff has made at least a colorable

showing that their joinder in a single complaint is proper.1 Consequently, the order to show

cause will be discharged as to said defendants.

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As to the remaining eight defendants, specifically, Musselman, William M.

Tiepelman, Linda L. Tiepelman, Mediachoice, Inc., Arnold E. Kuenn, Andrea Kuenn, Zaba,

Inc., and Robert Zakari, plaintiff has made no showing as to how they are properly joined

herein with the above-referenced 13 defendants, nor has plaintiff even articulated a theory

as to why those eight defendants constitute “agents” of the other defendants. 

Consequently, the Court will not discharge the order to show cause, as to those eight

defendants.

CONCLUSION

For the reasons stated above, the order to show cause issued November 1, 2006 is

hereby DISCHARGED to the extent it pertains to the Airon Defendants, Renee Dunbar,

Peter Dunbar, Paretolgic, Inc., Adrian Pereira, Elton Pereira, Jason-Leo Carvallo, Rosson

Ventures, Linda Rosson, Barry Rosson, and Matthew Rosson. As to all remaining

defendants, the order to show cause remains in effect, pending further order of the Court.

Plaintiff is hereby ORDERED to include in the parties’ Joint Case Management

Statement any information it has that would indicate said remaining defendants, or any of

them, are properly joined herein, and to be prepared to address such issue at the January

26, 2006 case management conference.

If plaintiff wishes to amend its Fourth Claim for Relief to cure the deficiencies

identified in the Court’s November 1, 2006 order, plaintiff shall file a Third Amended

Complaint no later than January 25, 2007. In any such Third Amended Complaint, plaintiff

may not add new claims, but may delete existing allegations, claims or defendants without

further leave of Court.

IT IS SO ORDERED.

Dated: January 5, 2007 

MAXINE M. CHESNEY

United States District Judge

Case 3:06-cv-02306-MMC Document 102 Filed 01/05/07 Page 3 of 3