Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-cand-5_13-cv-00825/USCOURTS-cand-5_13-cv-00825-11/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 830
Nature of Suit: Patent
Cause of Action: 28:1338 Patent Infringement

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Case No. 5:13-cv-00825

OMNIBUS ORDER RE: MOTIONS TO SEAL

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United States District Court

For the Northern District of California

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 

SAN JOSE DIVISION

SENTIUS INTERNATIONAL, LLC,

 Plaintiff,

v.

MICROSOFT CORPORATION,

 Defendant. 

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Case No. 5:13-cv-00825-PSG

OMNIBUS ORDER RE: MOTIONS 

TO SEAL

(Re: Docket Nos. 176 and 182)

Before the court are two administrative motions to seal. “Historically, courts have 

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

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

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

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

 1 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)).

2 Id. (quoting Foltz v. State Farm Mut. Auto. Ins. Co., 331 F.3d 1122, 1135 (9th Cir. 2003)).

3 Id. at 1178-79.

Case 5:13-cv-00825-PSG Document 211 Filed 01/28/15 Page 1 of 5
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Case No. 5:13-cv-00825

OMNIBUS ORDER RE: MOTIONS TO SEAL

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United States District Court

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

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

their competitive interest.”4

 Records attached to nondispositive motions therefore are not subject 

to the strong presumption of access.5

 Because the documents attached to nondispositive motions 

“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 

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

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

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

 A protective order 

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 

designate confidential documents does not provide sufficient judicial scrutiny to determine whether 

each particular document should remain sealed.11

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

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

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

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

5 See id. at 1180.

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

7 Id.

8 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).

9 Beckman Indus., Inc. v. Int’l Ins. Co., 966 F.2d 470, 476 (9th Cir. 1992).

10 See Kamakana, 447 F.3d at 1179-80.

11 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-00825

OMNIBUS ORDER RE: MOTIONS TO SEAL

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United States District Court

For the Northern District of California

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

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 

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 court rules on the instant motions as follows: 

Motion 

to Seal

Document to be Sealed Result Reason/Explanation

176 Exhibit A UNSEALED No declaration in 

support filed with the 

court as required by 

Civ. L.R. 79-5(e)(1).

176 Exhibit F Designations highlighted in 

yellow at Docket No. 183 

SEALED; all other designations 

UNSEALED.

Only sealed portions 

narrowly tailored to 

confidential business 

information.

176 Exhibit I Designations highlighted in 

yellow at Docket No. 176-7 

SEALED; all other designations 

UNSEALED.

Only sealed portions 

narrowly tailored to 

confidential business 

information.

182 Sentius’ Omnibus Motion

in Limine

UNSEALED No declaration in 

support filed with the 

court as required by 

Civ. L.R. 79-5(e)(1).

182 Exhibit D UNSEALED No declaration in 

support filed with the 

court as required by 

Civ. L.R. 79-5(e)(1).

 12 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 

“unredacted 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).

13 Civ. L.R. 79-5(e)(1). The Civil Local Rules have recently been amended shortening the time 

available to the designating party to file a supporting declaration from seven days to four days. As 

this rule change was only recently implemented the court applies the prior form of Civ. L.R. 79-5 

for the purposes of this order.

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Case No. 5:13-cv-00825

OMNIBUS ORDER RE: MOTIONS TO SEAL

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182 Exhibit F UNSEALED No declaration in 

support filed with the 

court as required by 

Civ. L.R. 79-5(e)(1).

182 Exhibit G Designations at paragraphs 137-

139, 167-185, 199-200, 202, 226-

230, 254-262, 306, 312, 318-323, 

351-359, 372-381, 395, 401, 406-

409, 435-441, 455-463, 477, 483, 

488-491, 542, 607-610, 624-628, 

656 and 662 SEALED; all other 

text UNSEALED. 

Only sealed portions 

narrowly tailored to 

confidential business 

information.

182 Exhibit H Designations at page 25 (the 

paragraph beginning, “Microsoft 

offers...”), pages 27-28 (the 

paragraph beginning, “I reviewed 

multiple surveys...”), page 30 (the 

paragraph beginning, “Ultimately, 

rather than...”), page 33 (the 

paragraph beginning, “Ultimately, 

Microsoft entered into...”), page 

34 (the paragraph beginning, 

“Microsoft and Arendi...”), page 

36 (the paragraph beginning, 

“Microsoft entered into...”), page 

37 (the paragraph beginning, 

“Under the terms of...”), footnote 

253, page 38 (the paragraph 

beginning, “In a Settlement...”), 

pages 50-51 (the paragraph 

beginning, “An agreement falling 

outside...”) and footnotes 349-351 

SEALED; all other text 

UNSEALED.

Only sealed portions 

narrowly tailored to 

confidential business 

information.

182 Exhibit K UNSEALED No declaration in 

support filed with the 

court as required by 

Civ. L.R. 79-5(e)(1).

182 Exhibit L Designations at Exhibit A1, pages 

11-18, 20-29, 37-48, 57-64, 66-75, 

83-93; and Exhibit A2, pages 10-

16, 20-30, 46-52, and 56-66 

SEALED; other all text 

UNSEALED.

Only sealed portions 

narrowly tailored to 

confidential business 

information.

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