Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-casd-3_07-cv-02156/USCOURTS-casd-3_07-cv-02156-1/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 830
Nature of Suit: Patent
Cause of Action: 35:271 Patent Infringement

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07c1125

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

PULSE-LINK INCORPORATED,

Plaintiff,

v.

TZERO TECHNOLOGIES,

INCORPORATED,

Defendant.

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Civil No. 07cv1125-L(AJB)

Civil No. 07cv2156-L(AJB)

ORDER CONSOLIDATING CASES

AND VACATING HEARING

On February 27, 2008, the court issued an order to show cause why cases numbered

07cv1125-L(AJB) and 07cv2156-L (AJB) should not be consolidated pursuant to Federal Rule

of Civil Procedure 42(a). On March 5, 2008, Plaintiff filed a response not opposing

consolidation, but requesting the case management dates in case no. 07cv1125-L(AJB) stay

undisturbed. Defendant did not respond to the OSC. For the reasons which follow, the cases are

consolidated.

Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 42(a) gives the court discretion to consolidate cases

which “involve a common question of law or fact.” On November 9, 2007, Plaintiff field a

Notice of Related Case, stating that case no. 07cv2156 is related to case no. 07cv1125. Based

thereon, on November 19, 2007 a Report of Clerk and Order of Transfer Pursuant to "Low

Number" Rule was filed, finding the cases were related. Accordingly, case no. 07cv2156 was

transferred to the court assigned to case no. 07cv1125. 

Case 3:07-cv-02156-L-AJB Document 22 Filed 03/07/08 Page 1 of 3
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2 07c1125

Upon review of the complaint filed in each case, the court finds the cases involve the

same parties. They are both patent infringement cases referring to the same technology. 

Although the patents involved in each case are different, the alleged infringing products are the

same. In fact, the descriptions of the technology involved and the infringing products are the

same in both cases. Both cases call for determination of common questions of fact pertaining to

the technology and involved, and law pertaining to patent infringement. 

Although Plaintiff does not oppose consolidation, it urges the court to allow for a separate

discovery schedule, motion briefing and Markman hearing in each case. The court disagrees. 

Given the stated similarities of the cases, efficiencies to the judicial resources and to the parties

in motion briefing and discovery warrant the cases to proceed on a the same schedule. 

The court is mindful of Plaintiff’s interest in quickly enforcing its patent in the first-filed

case. Plaintiff filed the complaint in case no. 07cv1125 on June 21, 2007. It then filed a new

complaint, case no. 07cv2156, involving the same technology on November 9, 2007. The delay

between Plaintiff’s filing of the two cases is less than five months. Given the substantial overlap

between the cases, any delay in case management dates of the first-filed case resulting from

consolidation should be substantially less than that. 

For the foregoing reasons, it is hereby ORDERED: 

1. Case no. 07cv2156-L(AJB) is consolidated for pretrial and trial proceedings with case

no. 07cv1125-L(AJB) pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 42(a).

2. All further filings shall be made in case no. 07cv1125 only.

3. The Markman hearing currently set for May 16, 2008 is hereby VACATED.

4. The parties shall schedule a case management conference before Magistrate Judge

Battaglia to address pre-trial scheduling consistent with this order.

IT IS SO ORDERED.

DATED: March 7, 2008

M. James Lorenz

United States District Court Judge

Case 3:07-cv-02156-L-AJB Document 22 Filed 03/07/08 Page 2 of 3
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3 07c1125

COPY TO: 

HON. ANTHONY J. BATTAGLIA

UNITED STATES MAGISTRATE JUDGE

ALL PARTIES/COUNSEL

Case 3:07-cv-02156-L-AJB Document 22 Filed 03/07/08 Page 3 of 3