Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-cand-3_15-cv-05735/USCOURTS-cand-3_15-cv-05735-3/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 190
Nature of Suit: Other Contract Actions
Cause of Action: 28:1332 Diversity-Breach of Contract

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STIPULATED PROTECTIVE ORDER Case No. 3:15-cv-05735-RS

DMEAST #25469434 v7

Ballard Spahr LLP

1735 Market Street, 51st Floor

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103-7599

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

HANERGY THIN FILM POWER AMERICA INC.

Plaintiff,

v.

COLUMBIA SOLAR ENERGY, LLC

Defendant.

Case No. 15-CV-05735-RS

STIPULATED PROTECTIVE ORDER FOR 

LITIGATION INVOLVING HIGHLY 

SENSITIVE CONFIDENTIAL 

INFORMATION AND/OR TRADE 

SECRETS

1. PURPOSES AND LIMITATIONS

Disclosure and discovery activity in this action are likely to involve production of confidential, 

proprietary, or private information for which special protection from public disclosure and from use for 

any purpose other than prosecuting this litigation may be warranted. Accordingly, the parties hereby 

stipulate to and petition the court to enter the following Stipulated Protective Order. The parties 

acknowledge that this Order does not confer blanket protections on all disclosures or responses to 

discovery and that the protection it affords from public disclosure and use extends only to the limited 

information or items that are entitled to confidential treatment under the applicable legal principles. The 

parties further acknowledge, as set forth in Section 14.4, below, that this Stipulated Protective Order does 

not entitle them to file confidential information under seal; Civil Local Rule 79-5 sets forth the procedures 

that must be followed and the standards that will be applied when a party seeks permission from the court 

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Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103-7599

to file material under seal.

2. DEFINITIONS

2.1 Challenging Party: a Party or Non-Party that challenges the designation of information or 

items under this Order.

2.2 “CONFIDENTIAL” Information or Items: information (regardless of how it is generated, 

stored or maintained) or tangible things that qualify for protection under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure

26(c).

2.3 Counsel (without qualifier): Outside Counsel of Record and House Counsel (as well as 

their support staff).

2.4 Designated House Counsel: House Counsel who seek access to “HIGHLY 

CONFIDENTIAL – ATTORNEYS’ EYES ONLY” information in this matter.

2.5 Designating Party: a Party or Non-Party that designates information or items that it 

produces in disclosures or in responses to discovery as “CONFIDENTIAL” or “HIGHLY 

CONFIDENTIAL – ATTORNEYS’ EYES ONLY” or “HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL – SOURCE 

CODE”.

2.6 Disclosure or Discovery Material: all items or information, regardless of the medium or 

manner in which it is generated, stored, or maintained (including, among other things, testimony, 

transcripts, and tangible things), that are produced or generated in disclosures or responses to discovery in 

this matter.

2.7 Expert: a person with specialized knowledge or experience in a matter pertinent to the 

litigation who (1) has been retained by a Party or its counsel to serve as an expert witness or as a 

consultant in this action, (2) is not a past or current employee of a Party or of a Party’s competitor, and 

(3) at the time of retention, is not anticipated to become an employee of a Party or of a Party’s competitor.

2.8 “HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL – ATTORNEYS’ EYES ONLY” Information or Items:

extremely sensitive “Confidential Information or Items,” disclosure of which to another Party or NonParty would create a substantial risk of serious harm that could not be avoided by less restrictive means.

2.9 “HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL – SOURCE CODE” Information or Items: extremely 

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STIPULATED PROTECTIVE ORDER Case No. 3:15-cv-05735-RS

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Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103-7599

sensitive “Confidential Information or Items” representing computer code and associated comments and 

revision histories, formulas, engineering specifications, or schematics that define or otherwise describe in 

detail the algorithms or structure of software or hardware designs including financial models, disclosure 

of which to another Party or Non-Party would create a substantial risk of serious harm that could not be 

avoided by less restrictive means.

2.10 House Counsel: attorneys who are employees of a party to this action. House Counsel 

does not include Outside Counsel of Record or any other outside counsel.

2.11 Non-Party: any natural person, partnership, corporation, association, or other legal entity 

not named as a Party to this action.

2.12 Outside Counsel of Record: attorneys who are not employees of a party to this action but 

are retained to represent or advise a party to this action and have appeared in this action on behalf of that 

party or are affiliated with a law firm which has appeared on behalf of that party.

2.13 Party: any party to this action, including all of its officers, directors, employees, 

consultants, retained experts, and Outside Counsel of Record (and their support staffs).

2.14 Producing Party: a Party or Non-Party that produces Disclosure or Discovery Material in 

this action.

2.15 Professional Vendors: persons or entities that provide litigation support services (e.g., 

photocopying, videotaping, translating, preparing exhibits or demonstrations, and organizing, storing, or 

retrieving data in any form or medium) and their employees and subcontractors.

2.16 Protected Material: any Disclosure or Discovery Material that is designated as 

“CONFIDENTIAL,” as “HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL – ATTORNEYS’ EYES ONLY,” or as “HIGHLY 

CONFIDENTIAL – SOURCE CODE.”

2.17 Receiving Party: a Party that receives Disclosure or Discovery Material from a Producing 

Party.

3. SCOPE

The protections conferred by this Stipulation and Order cover not only Protected Material (as 

defined above), but also (1) any information copied or extracted from Protected Material; (2) all copies, 

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STIPULATED PROTECTIVE ORDER Case No. 3:15-cv-05735-RS

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Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103-7599

excerpts, summaries, or compilations of Protected Material; and (3) any testimony, conversations, or 

presentations by Parties or their Counsel that might reveal Protected Material. However, the protections 

conferred by this Stipulation and Order do not cover the following information: (a) any information that is 

in the public domain at the time of disclosure to a Receiving Party or becomes part of the public domain 

after its disclosure to a Receiving Party as a result of publication not involving a violation of this Order, 

including becoming part of the public record through trial or otherwise; and (b) any information known to 

the Receiving Party prior to the disclosure or obtained by the Receiving Party after the disclosure from a 

source who obtained the information lawfully and was under no obligation of confidentiality to the 

Designating Party. Any use of Protected Material at trial shall be governed by a separate agreement or 

order.

4. DURATION

Even after final disposition of this litigation, the confidentiality obligations imposed by this Order 

shall remain in effect until a Designating Party agrees otherwise in writing or a court order otherwise 

directs. Final disposition shall be deemed to be the later of (1) dismissal of all claims and defenses in this 

action, with or without prejudice; and (2) final judgment herein after the completion and exhaustion of all 

appeals, rehearings, remands, trials, or reviews of this action, including the time limits for filing any 

motions or applications for extension of time pursuant to applicable law.

5. DESIGNATING PROTECTED MATERIAL

5.1 Exercise of Restraint and Care in Designating Material for Protection. Each Party or NonParty that designates information or items for protection under this Order must take care to limit any such 

designation to specific material that qualifies under the appropriate standards. To the extent it is practical 

to do so, the Designating Party must designate for protection only those parts of material, documents, 

items, or oral or written communications that qualify – so that other portions of the material, documents, 

items, or communications for which protection is not warranted are not swept unjustifiably within the 

ambit of this Order.

Mass, indiscriminate, or routinized designations are prohibited. Designations that are shown to be 

clearly unjustified or that have been made for an improper purpose (e.g., to unnecessarily encumber or 

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STIPULATED PROTECTIVE ORDER Case No. 3:15-cv-05735-RS

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Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103-7599

retard the case development process or to impose unnecessary expenses and burdens on other parties) 

expose the Designating Party to sanctions.

If it comes to a Designating Party’s attention that information or items that it designated for 

protection do not qualify for protection at all or do not qualify for the level of protection initially asserted, 

that Designating Party must promptly notify all other parties that it is withdrawing the mistaken 

designation.

5.2 Manner and Timing of Designations. Except as otherwise provided in this Order (see, 

e.g., second paragraph of section 5.2(a) below), or as otherwise stipulated or ordered, Disclosure or 

Discovery Material that qualifies for protection under this Order must be clearly so designated before the 

material is disclosed or produced. Designation in conformity with this Order requires:

(a) for information in documentary form (e.g., paper or electronically imaged documents,

but excluding transcripts of depositions or other pretrial or trial proceedings), that the Producing Party 

affix the legend “CONFIDENTIAL” or “HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL – ATTORNEYS’ EYES ONLY” or 

“HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL – SOURCE CODE” to each page that contains protected material. If only a 

portion or portions of the material on a page qualifies for protection, the Producing Party also must clearly 

identify the protected portion(s) (e.g., by making appropriate markings in the margins) and must specify, 

for each portion, the level of protection being asserted.

A Party or Non-Party that makes original documents or materials available for inspection need 

not designate them for protection until after the inspecting Party has indicated which material it would 

like copied and produced. During the inspection and before the designation, all of the material made 

available for inspection shall be deemed “HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL – ATTORNEYS’ EYES ONLY.”

After the inspecting Party has identified the documents it wants copied and produced, the Producing Party 

must determine which documents, or portions thereof, qualify for protection under this Order. Then, 

before producing the specified documents, the Producing Party must affix the appropriate legend 

(“CONFIDENTIAL” or “HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL – ATTORNEYS’ EYES ONLY” or “HIGHLY 

CONFIDENTIAL – SOURCE CODE) to each page that contains Protected Material. If only a portion or 

portions of the material on a page qualifies for protection, the Producing Party also must clearly identify 

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STIPULATED PROTECTIVE ORDER Case No. 3:15-cv-05735-RS

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1735 Market Street, 51st Floor

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103-7599

the protected portion(s) (e.g., by making appropriate markings in the margins) and must specify, for each 

portion, the level of protection being asserted.

(b) for testimony given in deposition or in other pretrial or trial proceedings, that the 

Designating Party identify on the record, before the close of the deposition, hearing, or other proceeding, 

all protected testimony and specify the level of protection being asserted. When it is impractical to 

identify separately each portion of testimony that is entitled to protection and it appears that substantial 

portions of the testimony may qualify for protection, the Designating Party may invoke on the record 

(before the deposition, hearing, or other proceeding is concluded) a right to have up to 21 days to identify 

the specific portions of the testimony as to which protection is sought and to specify the level of 

protection being asserted. Only those portions of the testimony that are appropriately designated for 

protection within the 21 days shall be covered by the provisions of this Stipulated Protective Order.

Alternatively, a Designating Party may specify, at the deposition or up to 21 days afterwards if that period 

is properly invoked, that the entire transcript shall be treated as “CONFIDENTIAL” or “HIGHLY 

CONFIDENTIAL – ATTORNEYS’ EYES ONLY.”

Parties shall give the other parties notice if they reasonably expect a deposition, hearing or other 

proceeding to include Protected Material so that the other parties can ensure that only authorized 

individuals who have signed the “Acknowledgment and Agreement to Be Bound” (Exhibit A) are present 

at those proceedings. The use of a document as an exhibit at a deposition shall not in any way affect its 

designation as “CONFIDENTIAL” or “HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL – ATTORNEYS’ EYES ONLY.”

Transcripts containing Protected Material shall have an obvious legend on the title page that the 

transcript contains Protected Material, and the title page shall be followed by a list of all pages (including 

line numbers as appropriate) that have been designated as Protected Material and the level of protection 

being asserted by the Designating Party. The Designating Party shall inform the court reporter of these 

requirements. Any transcript that is prepared before the expiration of a 21-day period for designation shall 

be treated during that period as if it had been designated “HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL – ATTORNEYS’ 

EYES ONLY” in its entirety unless otherwise agreed. After the expiration of that period, the transcript 

shall be treated only as actually designated.

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STIPULATED PROTECTIVE ORDER Case No. 3:15-cv-05735-RS

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Ballard Spahr LLP

1735 Market Street, 51st Floor

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103-7599

(c) for information produced in some form other than documentary (such as native 

electronic format) and for any non-documentary tangible items, that the Producing Party affix in a 

prominent place on the physical media on which the information is delivered or on the container(s) in 

which the information or item is stored the legend “CONFIDENTIAL” or “HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL –

ATTORNEYS’ EYES ONLY” or “HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL – SOURCE CODE”. The legend should 

also appear in or on any transmittal correspondence delivering the information or item. If only a portion 

or portions of the information or item warrant protection, the Producing Party, to the extent practicable, 

shall identify the protected portion(s) and specify the level of protection being asserted.

5.3 Inadvertent Failures to Designate. If timely corrected, an inadvertent failure to designate 

qualified information or items does not, standing alone, waive the Designating Party’s right to secure 

protection under this Order for such material. Upon timely correction of a designation, the Receiving 

Party must make reasonable efforts to assure that the material is treated in accordance with the provisions 

of this Order.

6. CHALLENGING CONFIDENTIALITY DESIGNATIONS

6.1 Timing of Challenges. Any Party or Non-Party may challenge a designation of 

confidentiality at any time. Unless a prompt challenge to a Designating Party’s confidentiality designation 

is necessary to avoid foreseeable, substantial unfairness, unnecessary economic burdens, or a significant 

disruption or delay of the litigation, a Party does not waive its right to challenge a confidentiality 

designation by electing not to mount a challenge promptly after the original designation is disclosed.

6.2 Meet and Confer. The Challenging Party shall initiate the dispute resolution process by 

providing written notice of each designation it is challenging and describing the basis for each challenge.

To avoid ambiguity as to whether a challenge has been made, the written notice must recite that the 

challenge to confidentiality is being made in accordance with this specific paragraph of the Protective 

Order. The parties shall attempt to resolve each challenge in good faith and must begin the process by 

conferring directly (in voice to voice dialogue; other forms of communication are not sufficient) within 14

days of the date of service of notice. In conferring, the Challenging Party must explain the basis for its 

belief that the confidentiality designation was not proper and must give the Designating Party an 

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STIPULATED PROTECTIVE ORDER Case No. 3:15-cv-05735-RS

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Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103-7599

opportunity to review the designated material, to reconsider the circumstances, and, if no change in 

designation is offered, to explain the basis for the chosen designation. A Challenging Party may proceed 

to the next stage of the challenge process only if it has engaged in this meet and confer process first or 

establishes that the Designating Party is unwilling to participate in the meet and confer process in a timely 

manner.

6.3 Judicial Intervention.

(a) “CONFIDENTIAL” Information or Items. If the Parties cannot resolve a challenge 

without court intervention, the Challenging Party shall file and serve a motion to challenge confidentiality 

under Civil Local Rule 7 (and in compliance with Civil Local Rule 79-5, if applicable) within 21 days of 

the initial notice of challenge or within 14 days of the parties agreeing that the meet and confer process 

will not resolve their dispute, whichever is earlier. Each such motion must be accompanied by a 

competent declaration affirming that the movant has complied with the meet and confer requirements 

imposed in paragraph 6.2.

(b) “HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL – ATTORNEYS’ EYES ONLY” and “HIGHLY 

CONFIDENTIAL – SOURCE CODE” Information or Items. If the Parties cannot resolve a challenge 

without court intervention, the Designating Party shall file and serve a motion to establish entitlement to 

the “HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL” designation under Civil Local Rule 7 (and in compliance with Civil 

Local Rule 79-5, if applicable) within 21 days of the initial notice of challenge or within 14 days of the 

parties agreeing that the meet and confer process will not resolve their dispute, whichever is earlier. Each 

such motion must be accompanied by a competent declaration affirming that the movant has complied 

with the meet and confer requirements imposed in paragraph 6.2. Failure by the Designating Party to 

make such a motion including the required declaration within 21 days (or 14 days, if applicable) shall 

automatically waive the “HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL” designation for each challenged designation, 

which will then be designated “CONFIDENTIAL” only. 

(c) In addition, the Challenging Party may file a motion challenging a confidentiality 

designation at any time if there is good cause for doing so, including a challenge to the designation of a 

deposition transcript or any portions thereof. Any motion brought pursuant to paragraph 6.3 must be 

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STIPULATED PROTECTIVE ORDER Case No. 3:15-cv-05735-RS

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Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103-7599

accompanied by a competent declaration affirming that the movant has complied with the meet and 

confer requirements imposed by paragraph 6.2. The burden of persuasion in any challenge proceeding 

shall be on the Designating Party. Frivolous challenges and those made for an improper purpose (e.g., to 

harass or impose unnecessary expenses and burdens on other parties) may expose the Challenging Party 

to sanctions. All parties shall continue to afford the material in question the level of protection to which it 

is entitled under the Producing Party’s designation until the court rules on the challenge.

7. ACCESS TO AND USE OF PROTECTED MATERIAL

7.1 Basic Principles. A Receiving Party may use Protected Material that is disclosed or 

produced by another Party or by a Non-Party in connection with this case only for prosecuting, defending, 

or attempting to settle this litigation. Such Protected Material may be disclosed only to the categories of 

persons and under the conditions described in this Order. When the litigation has been terminated, a 

Receiving Party must comply with the provisions of section 15 below (FINAL DISPOSITION).

Protected Material must be stored and maintained by a Receiving Party at a location and in a 

secure manner that ensures that access is limited to the persons authorized under this Order.

7.2 Disclosure of “CONFIDENTIAL” Information or Items. Unless otherwise ordered by the 

court or permitted in writing by the Designating Party, a Receiving Party may disclose any information or 

item designated “CONFIDENTIAL” only to:

(a) the Receiving Party’s Outside Counsel of Record in this action, as well as employees 

of said Outside Counsel of Record to whom it is reasonably necessary to disclose the information for this

litigation and who have signed the “Acknowledgment and Agreement to Be Bound” that is attached

hereto as Exhibit A;

(b) the officers, directors, and employees (including House Counsel) of the Receiving 

Party to whom disclosure is reasonably necessary for this litigation and who have signed the 

“Acknowledgment and Agreement to Be Bound” (Exhibit A);

(c) Experts (as defined in this Order) of the Receiving Party to whom disclosure is 

reasonably necessary for this litigation and who have signed the “Acknowledgment and Agreement to Be 

Bound” (Exhibit A);

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STIPULATED PROTECTIVE ORDER Case No. 3:15-cv-05735-RS

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Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103-7599

(d) the court and its personnel;

(e) court reporters and their staff, professional jury or trial consultants, and Professional 

Vendors to whom disclosure is reasonably necessary for this litigation and who have signed the 

“Acknowledgment and Agreement to Be Bound” (Exhibit A);

(f) during their depositions, witnesses in the action to whom disclosure is reasonably 

necessary and who have signed the “Acknowledgment and Agreement to Be Bound” (Exhibit A), unless 

otherwise agreed by the Designating Party or ordered by the court. Pages of transcribed deposition 

testimony or exhibits to depositions that reveal Protected Material must be separately bound by the court 

reporter and may not be disclosed to anyone except as permitted under this Stipulated Protective Order.

(g) the author or recipient of a document containing the information or a custodian or 

other person who otherwise possessed or knew the information.

7.3 Disclosure of “HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL – ATTORNEYS’ EYES ONLY” and 

“HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL – SOURCE CODE” Information or Items. Unless otherwise ordered by the 

court or permitted in writing by the Designating Party, a Receiving Party may disclose any information or 

item designated “HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL – ATTORNEYS’ EYES ONLY” or “HIGHLY 

CONFIDENTIAL – SOURCE CODE” only to:

(a) the Receiving Party’s Outside Counsel of Record in this action, as well as employees 

of said Outside Counsel of Record to whom it is reasonably necessary to disclose the information for this

litigation and who have signed the “Acknowledgment and Agreement to Be Bound” that is attached

hereto as Exhibit A;

(b) Designated House Counsel of the Receiving Party (1) to whom disclosure is 

reasonably necessary for this litigation and (2) who has signed the “Acknowledgment and Agreement to 

Be Bound” (Exhibit A);

(c) Experts of the Receiving Party (1) to whom disclosure is reasonably necessary for this 

litigation, (2) who have signed the “Acknowledgment and Agreement to Be Bound” (Exhibit A), and 

(3) as to whom the procedures set forth in paragraph 7.4(a), below, have been followed];

(d) the court and its personnel;

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(e) court reporters and their staff, professional jury or trial consultants, and Professional 

Vendors to whom disclosure is reasonably necessary for this litigation and who have signed the 

“Acknowledgment and Agreement to Be Bound” (Exhibit A); and

(f) the author or recipient of a document containing the information or a custodian or 

other person who otherwise possessed or knew the information.

7.4 Procedures for Approving or Objecting to Disclosure of “HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL –

ATTORNEYS’ EYES ONLY” or “HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL – SOURCE CODE” Information or 

Items to Experts.

(a) Unless otherwise ordered by the court or agreed to in writing by the Designating 

Party, a Party that seeks to disclose to an Expert (as defined in this Order) any information or item that 

has been designated “HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL – ATTORNEYS’ EYES ONLY” or “HIGHLY 

CONFIDENTIAL – SOURCE CODE” pursuant to paragraph 7.3(c) first must make a written request to 

the Designating Party that (1) identifies the general categories of “HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL –

ATTORNEYS’ EYES ONLY” or “HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL – SOURCE CODE” information that the 

Receiving Party seeks permission to disclose to the Expert, (2) sets forth the full name of the Expert and 

the city and state of his or her primary residence, (3) attaches a copy of the Expert’s current resume, 

(4) identifies the Expert’s current employer(s), (5) identifies each person or entity from whom the Expert 

has received compensation or funding for work in his or her areas of expertise or to whom the expert has 

provided professional services, including in connection with a litigation, at any time during the preceding 

five years,1 and (6) identifies (by name and number of the case, filing date, and location of court) any 

litigation in connection with which the Expert has offered expert testimony, including through a 

declaration, report, or testimony at a deposition or trial, during the preceding five years.

(b) A Party that makes a request and provides the information specified in the preceding 

 

1 If the Expert believes any of this information is subject to a confidentiality obligation to a third-party, then the Expert should 

provide whatever information the Expert believes can be disclosed without violating any confidentiality agreements, and the 

Party seeking to disclose to the Expert shall be available to meet and confer with the Designating Party regarding any such 

engagement.

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respective paragraphs may disclose the subject Protected Material to the identified Designated House 

Counsel or Expert unless, within 14 days of delivering the request, the Party receives a written objection 

from the Designating Party. Any such objection must set forth in detail the grounds on which it is based.

(c) A Party that receives a timely written objection must meet and confer with the 

Designating Party (through direct voice to voice dialogue) to try to resolve the matter by agreement

within seven days of the written objection. If no agreement is reached, the Party seeking to make the 

disclosure to the Expert may file a motion as provided in Civil Local Rule 7 (and in compliance with 

Civil Local Rule 79-5, if applicable) seeking permission from the court to do so. Any such motion must 

describe the circumstances with specificity, set forth in detail the reasons why the disclosure to the Expert 

is reasonably necessary, assess the risk of harm that the disclosure would entail, and suggest any

additional means that could be used to reduce that risk. In addition, any such motion must be

accompanied by a competent declaration describing the parties’ efforts to resolve the matter by agreement 

(i.e., the extent and the content of the meet and confer discussions) and setting forth the reasons advanced 

by the Designating Party for its refusal to approve the disclosure.

In any such proceeding, the Party opposing disclosure to the Expert shall bear the burden of 

proving that the risk of harm that the disclosure would entail (under the safeguards proposed) outweighs 

the Receiving Party’s need to disclose the Protected Material to its Expert.

8. Not used.

9. SOURCE CODE

(a) To the extent production of source code becomes necessary in this case, a 

Producing Party may designate source code as “HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL - SOURCE CODE” if it 

comprises or includes confidential, proprietary or trade secret source code.

(b) Protected Material designated as “HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL – SOURCE 

CODE” shall be subject to all of the protections afforded to “HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL –

ATTORNEYS’ EYES ONLY” information and may be disclosed only to the individuals to whom 

“HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL – ATTORNEYS’ EYES ONLY” information may be disclosed, as set forth 

in Paragraphs 7.3 and 7.4.

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(c) Any source code produced in discovery shall be made available for inspection, in 

a format allowing it to be reasonably reviewed and searched, during normal business hours or at other 

mutually agreeable times, at an office of the Producing Party’s counsel or another mutually agreed upon 

location.The source code shall be made available for inspection on a secured computer in a secured room

without Internet access or network access to other computers, and the Receiving Party shall not copy, 

remove, or otherwise transfer any portion of the source code onto any recordable media or recordable 

device. The Producing Party may visually monitor the activities of the Receiving Party’s representatives 

during any source code review, but only to ensure that there is no unauthorized recording, copying, or 

transmission of the source code.

(d) The Receiving Party may request paper copies of limited portions of source code 

that are reasonably necessary for the preparation of court filings, pleadings, expert reports, or other 

papers, or for deposition or trial, but shall not request paper copies for the purposes of reviewing the 

source code other than electronically as set forth in paragraph (c) in the first instance. The Producing 

Party shall provide all such source code in paper form including bates numbers and the label “HIGHLY 

CONFIDENTIAL - SOURCE CODE.” The Producing Party may challenge the amount of source code 

requested in hard copy form pursuant to the dispute resolution procedure and timeframes set forth in 

Paragraph 6 whereby the Producing Party is the “Challenging Party” and the Receiving Party is the 

“Designating Party” for purposes of dispute resolution.

(e) The Receiving Party shall maintain a record of any individual who has inspected 

any portion of the source code in electronic or paper form. The Receiving Party shall maintain all paper 

copies of any printed portions of the source code in a secured, locked area. The Receiving Party shall not 

create any electronic or other images of the paper copies and shall not convert any of the information 

contained in the paper copies into any electronic format. The Receiving Party shall only make additional 

paper copies if such additional copies are (1) necessary to prepare court filings, pleadings, or other papers 

(including a testifying expert’s expert report), (2) necessary for deposition, or (3) otherwise necessary for 

the preparation of its case. Any paper copies used during a deposition shall be retrieved by the Producing 

Party at the end of each day and must not be given to or left with a court reporter or any other 

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unauthorized individual. The Receiving Party shall also provide notice to the Producing Party before 

including “HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL – SOURCE CODE” information in a court filing or pleading

(including in an expert report attached to the court filing or pleading).

10. PROTECTED MATERIAL SUBPOENAED OR ORDERED PRODUCED IN OTHER

LITIGATION

If a Party is served with a subpoena or a court order issued in other litigation that compels

disclosure of any information or items designated in this action as “CONFIDENTIAL” or “HIGHLY 

CONFIDENTIAL – ATTORNEYS’ EYES ONLY” or “HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL – SOURCE CODE”

that Party must:

(a) promptly notify in writing the Designating Party. Such notification shall include a 

copy of the subpoena or court order; 

(b) promptly notify in writing the party who caused the subpoena or order to issue in the 

other litigation that some or all of the material covered by the subpoena or order is subject to this 

Protective Order. Such notification shall include a copy of this Stipulated Protective Order; and 

(c) cooperate with respect to all reasonable procedures sought to be pursued by the 

Designating Party whose Protected Material may be affected.

If the Designating Party timely seeks a protective order, the Party served with the 

subpoena or court order shall not produce any information designated in this action as 

“CONFIDENTIAL” or “HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL – ATTORNEYS’ EYES ONLY” or “HIGHLY 

CONFIDENTIAL – SOURCE CODE” before a determination by the court from which the subpoena or 

order issued, unless the Party has obtained the Designating Party’s permission. The Designating Party 

shall bear the burden and expense of seeking protection in that court of its confidential material – and 

nothing in these provisions should be construed as authorizing or encouraging a Receiving Party in this 

action to disobey a lawful directive from another court.

11. A NON-PARTY’S PROTECTED MATERIAL SOUGHT TO BE PRODUCED IN THIS 

LITIGATION

(a) The terms of this Order are applicable to information produced by a Non-Party in 

this action and designated as “CONFIDENTIAL” or “HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL – ATTORNEYS’ 

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EYES ONLY” or “HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL – SOURCE CODE”. Such information produced by NonParties in connection with this litigation is protected by the remedies and relief provided by this Order.

Nothing in these provisions should be construed as prohibiting a Non-Party from seeking additional 

protections.

(b) In the event that a Party is required, by a valid discovery request, to produce a 

Non-Party’s confidential information in its possession, and the Party is subject to an agreement with the 

Non-Party not to produce the Non-Party’s confidential information, then the Party shall:

(1) promptly notify in writing the Requesting Party and the Non-Party that some or 

all of the information requested is subject to a confidentiality agreement with a Non-Party;

(2) promptly provide the Non-Party with a copy of the Stipulated Protective Order in 

this litigation, the relevant discovery request(s), and a reasonably specific description of the information 

requested; and 

(3) make the information requested available for inspection by the Non-Party.

(c) If the Non-Party fails to object or seek a protective order from this court within 

14 days of receiving the notice and accompanying information, the Receiving Party may produce the 

Non-Party’s confidential information responsive to the discovery request. If the Non-Party timely seeks a 

protective order, the Receiving Party shall not produce any information in its possession or control that is 

subject to the confidentiality agreement with the Non-Party before a determination by the court.

2 Absent a 

court order to the contrary, the Non-Party shall bear the burden and expense of seeking protection in this 

court of its Protected Material.

12. UNAUTHORIZED DISCLOSURE OF PROTECTED MATERIAL

If a Receiving Party learns that, by inadvertence or otherwise, it has disclosed Protected

Material to any person or in any circumstance not authorized under this Stipulated Protective Order, the 

Receiving Party must immediately (a) notify in writing the Designating Party of the unauthorized

 

2 The purpose of this provision is to alert the interested parties to the existence of confidentiality rights of a Non-Party and to 

afford the Non-Party an opportunity to protect its confidentiality interests in this court.

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disclosures, (b) use its best efforts to retrieve all unauthorized copies of the Protected Material, (c) inform 

the person or persons to whom unauthorized disclosures were made of all the terms of this Order, and (d)

request such person or persons to execute the “Acknowledgment and Agreement to Be Bound” that is 

attached hereto as Exhibit A.

13. INADVERTENT PRODUCTION OF PRIVILEGED OR OTHERWISE PROTECTED 

MATERIAL

If information is produced in discovery that is subject to a claim of privilege or of 

protection as trial-preparation material, the party making the claim may notify any party that received the 

information of the claim and the basis for it. After being notified, a party must promptly return or destroy 

the specified information and any copies it has and may not sequester, use or disclose the information 

until the claim is resolved. This includes a restriction against presenting the information to the court for a 

determination of the claim. This provision is not intended to modify whatever procedure may be 

established in an e-discovery order that provides for production without prior privilege review. Pursuant 

to Federal Rule of Evidence 502(d) and (e), insofar as the parties reach an agreement on the effect of 

disclosure of a communication or information covered by the attorney-client privilege or work product 

protection, the parties may incorporate their agreement in the stipulated protective order submitted to the 

court.

14. MISCELLANEOUS

14.1 Right to Further Relief. Nothing in this Order abridges the right of any person to seek its 

modification by the court in the future.

14.2 Right to Assert Other Objections. By stipulating to the entry of this Protective Order no

Party waives any right it otherwise would have to object to disclosing or producing any information or 

item on any ground not addressed in this Stipulated Protective Order. Similarly, no Party waives any right 

to object on any ground to use in evidence of any of the material covered by this Protective Order.

14.3 Not used.

14.4 Filing Protected Material. Without written permission from the Designating Party or a 

court order secured after appropriate notice to all interested persons, a Party may not file in the public 

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record in this action any Protected Material. A Party that seeks to file under seal any Protected Material 

must comply with Civil Local Rule 79-5. Protected Material may only be filed under seal pursuant to a 

court order authorizing the sealing of the specific Protected Material at issue. Pursuant to Civil Local Rule 

79-5, a sealing order will issue only upon a request establishing that the Protected Material at issue is 

privileged, protectable as a trade secret, or otherwise entitled to protection under the law. If a Receiving 

Party's request to file Protected Material under seal pursuant to Civil Local Rule 79-5(e) is denied by the 

court, then the Receiving Party may file the Protected Material in the public record pursuant to Civil 

Local Rule 79-5(e)(2) unless otherwise instructed by the court.

15. FINAL DISPOSITION

Within 60 days after the final disposition of this action, as defined in paragraph 4, each 

Receiving Party must return all Protected Material to the Producing Party, destroy such material, or 

render it not reasonably accessible until it can be destroyed. As used in this subdivision, “all Protected 

Material” includes all copies, abstracts, compilations, summaries, and any other format reproducing or 

capturing any of the Protected Material. Whether the Protected Material is returned, destroyed, or 

rendered not reasonably accessible until it can be destroyed, the Receiving Party must submit a written 

certification to the Producing Party (and, if not the same person or entity, to the Designating Party) by the 

60-day deadline that (1) identifies (by category, where appropriate) all the Protected Material that was 

returned, destroyed, or rendered not reasonably accessible until it can be destroyed, and (2) affirms that 

the Receiving Party has not retained any copies, abstracts, compilations, summaries or any other format

reproducing or capturing any of the Protected Material. Notwithstanding this provision, Counsel are 

entitled to retain an archival copy of all pleadings, motion papers, trial, deposition, and hearing 

transcripts, legal memoranda, correspondence, deposition and trial exhibits, expert reports, attorney work 

product, and consultant and expert work product, even if such materials contain Protected Material. Any 

such archival copies that contain or constitute Protected Material and any Protected Material that is 

rendered not reasonably accessible until it can be destroyed remain subject to this Protective Order as set 

forth in Section 4 (DURATION).

IT IS SO STIPULATED, THROUGH COUNSEL OF RECORD.

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DATED: _______July 6, 2015____ _______/s/ Jeffrey C.P. Wang_______________

Jeffrey C.P. Wang (CA SBN: 144414)

WHGC, P.L.C.

1301 Dove Street, Suite 1050

Newport Beach, CA 92660

Tel: 949.833.8483

Fax: 949.833.2281

Email: JeffreyWang@WHGCLaw.com

Attorneys for Plaintiff

DATED: _________ July 6, 2015___ ______/s/ Carl G. Roberts_______________

Alan S. Petlak (SBN 179362)

BALLARD SPAHR LLP

2029 Century Park East, Suite 800

Los Angeles, CA 90067-2909

Telephone: 424.204.4400

Facsimile: 424.204.4350

Email: petlaka@ballardspahr.com

and

Carl G. Roberts (admitted pro hac vice)

Ballard Spahr LLP

1735 Market Street, 51st Floor

Philadelphia, PA 19103-7599

Telephone: 215.864.8120

Facsimile: 215.525.5349

Email: cgroberts@ballardspahr.com

Attorneys for Defendant

PURSUANT TO STIPULATION, IT IS SO ORDERED.

DATED: ________________________ _____________________________________

Honorable Richard Seeborg

United States District Judge

7/27/2016

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EXHIBIT A

ACKNOWLEDGMENT AND AGREEMENT TO BE BOUND

I, _____________________________ [print or type full name], of _________________ 

[print or type full address], declare under penalty of perjury that I have read in its entirety and understand

the Stipulated Protective Order that was issued by the United States District Court for the Northern

District of California on [date] in the case of Hanergy Thin Film Power America Inc. v. Columbia Solar 

Energy, LLC, Case No. 15-cv-05735-RS. I agree to comply with and to be bound by all the terms of this 

Stipulated Protective Order and I understand and acknowledge that failure to so comply could expose me 

to sanctions and punishment in the nature of contempt. I solemnly promise that I will not disclose in any 

manner any information or item that is subject to this Stipulated Protective Order to any person or entity 

except in strict compliance with the provisions of this Order.

I further agree to submit to the jurisdiction of the United States District Court for the 

Northern District of California for the purpose of enforcing the terms of this Stipulated Protective Order, 

even if such enforcement proceedings occur after termination of this action.

I hereby appoint __________________________ [print or type full name] of

_______________________________________ [print or type full address and telephone number] as my 

California agent for service of process in connection with this action or any proceedings related to 

enforcement of this Stipulated Protective Order.

Date: _________________________________

City and State where sworn and signed: _________________________________

Printed name: ______________________________

[printed name]

Signature: __________________________________

[signature]

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