Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-cand-5_15-cv-02543/USCOURTS-cand-5_15-cv-02543-13/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 190
Nature of Suit: Other Contract Actions
Cause of Action: 28:1441 Petition For Removal--Other Contract

---

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

United States District Court

Northern District of California

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

SAN JOSE DIVISION

TESSERA, INC.,

Plaintiff,

v.

TOSHIBA CORPORATION,

Defendant.

Case No. 5:15-cv-02543-BLF 

OMNIBUS ORDER RE:

ADMINISTRATIVE MOTIONS TO 

SEAL DOCUMENTS

[Re: ECF 157, 159, 163, 167]

Before the Court are four administrative motions to seal, two from Plaintiff Tessera, Inc., 

and two from Defendant Toshiba Corp. See Mots., ECF 157, 159, 163, 167. The first two 

motions relate to the briefing on the parties’ cross-motions for summary judgment. See ECF 157, 

159. The latter two relate to Tessera’s motion to strike certain portions of Toshiba’s opposition to 

Tessera’s motion for summary judgment. See ECF 163, 167. For the reasons discussed below, all 

four motions are GRANTED IN PART and DENIED IN PART.

I. LEGAL STANDARD

“Historically, courts have recognized a ‘general right to inspect and copy public records 

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

presumption in favor of access’ is the starting point.” Id. (quoting Foltz v. State Farm Mut. Auto. 

Ins. Co., 331 F.3d 1122, 1135 (9th Cir. 2003)). Parties seeking to seal judicial records relating to 

motions that are “more than tangentially related to the underlying cause of action” bear the burden 

of overcoming the presumption with “compelling reasons” that outweigh the general history of 

access and the public policies favoring disclosure. Ctr. for Auto Safety v. Chrysler Grp., 809 F.3d 

1092, 1099 (9th Cir. 2016); Kamakana, 447 F.3d at 1178-79.

Case 5:15-cv-02543-BLF Document 174 Filed 08/15/16 Page 1 of 7
2

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

United States District Court

Northern District of California

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.” Apple Inc. v. Samsung Elecs. Co., Ltd., 727 F.3d 1214, 1228-29 (Fed. 

Cir. 2013). Records attached to motions that are “not related, or only tangentially related, to the 

merits of a case” therefore are not subject to the strong presumption of access. Ctr. for Auto 

Safety, 809 F.3d at 1099; see also Kamakana, 447 F.3d at 1179 (“[T]he public has less of a need 

for access to court records attached only to non-dispositive motions because those documents are 

often unrelated, or only tangentially related, to the underlying cause of action.”). Parties moving 

to seal the documents attached to such motions must meet the lower “good cause” standard of 

Rule 26(c). Kamakana, 447 F.3d at 1179 (internal quotations and citations omitted). This 

standard requires a “particularized showing,” id., that “specific prejudice or harm will result” if the 

information is disclosed. 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). “Broad allegations of harm, unsubstantiated by 

specific examples of articulated reasoning” will not suffice. Beckman Indus., Inc. v. Int’l Ins. Co., 

966 F.2d 470, 476 (9th Cir. 1992). A protective order sealing the documents during discovery 

may reflect the court’s previous determination that good cause exists to keep the documents 

sealed, see Kamakana, 447 F.3d at 1179-80, 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. 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.”).

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 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).” 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 

Case 5:15-cv-02543-BLF Document 174 Filed 08/15/16 Page 2 of 7
3

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

United States District Court

Northern District of California

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). “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.” Civ. L.R. 79-5(e)(1).

II. DISCUSSION

The first two sealing motions, at ECF 157 and 159, are resolved under the compelling 

reasons standard, because the parties’ summary judgment briefing is more than tangentially related 

to the merits of this case. The remaining motions, at ECF 163 and 167, are subject to the good 

cause standard because they accompany a motion to strike that is less than tangentially related to 

the merits. With these standards in mind, the Court rules on the instant motions as follows:

ECF 

No.

Document to 

be Sealed

Result Reasoning

157-4 Ex. 1 to 

Glasser Decl.

Designations highlighted 

in yellow SEALED.

Sealed material contains confidential 

business information.

157-5 Ex. 2 to 

Glasser Decl.

SEALED. Sealed material contains confidential 

business information.

157-6 Ex. 3 to 

Glasser Decl.

SEALED. Sealed material contains confidential 

business information.

157-7 Ex. 4 to 

Glasser Decl.

SEALED. Sealed material contains confidential 

business information.

157-8 Ex. 5 to 

Glasser Decl.

SEALED. Sealed material contains confidential 

business information.

157-9 Ex. 6 to 

Glasser Decl.

UNSEALED. Not narrowly tailored to confidential 

business information.

157-11 Ex. 8 to 

Glasser Decl.

Designations highlighted 

in yellow SEALED.

Sealed material contains confidential 

business information.

157-12 Ex. 9 to 

Glasser Decl.

SEALED. Sealed material contains confidential 

business information.

157-13 Ex. 10 to 

Glasser Decl.

SEALED. Sealed material contains confidential 

business information.

157-14 Ex. 11 to 

Glasser Decl.

UNSEALED. Not narrowly tailored to confidential 

business information.

157-15 Ex. 12 to 

Glasser Decl.

SEALED. Sealed material contains confidential 

business information.

Case 5:15-cv-02543-BLF Document 174 Filed 08/15/16 Page 3 of 7
4

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

United States District Court

Northern District of California

157-16 Ex. 13 to 

Glasser Decl.

SEALED. Sealed material contains confidential 

business information.

157-17 Ex. 15 to 

Glasser Decl.

UNSEALED. Not narrowly tailored to confidential 

business information.

157-18 Ex. 16 to 

Glasser Decl.

UNSEALED. Not narrowly tailored to confidential 

business information.

157-19 Ex. 17 to 

Glasser Decl.

UNSEALED. Not narrowly tailored to confidential 

business information.

157-20 Ex. 18 to 

Glasser Decl.

UNSEALED. Not narrowly tailored to confidential 

business information.

157-21 Ex. 19 to 

Glasser Decl.

UNSEALED. Not narrowly tailored to confidential 

business information.

157-22 Ex. 20 to 

Glasser Decl.

SEALED. Sealed material contains confidential 

business information.

157-23 Ex. 21 to 

Glasser Decl.

UNSEALED. Not narrowly tailored to confidential 

business information.

157-24 Ex. 22 to 

Glasser Decl.

UNSEALED. Not narrowly tailored to confidential 

business information.

157-25 Ex. 23 to 

Glasser Decl.

SEALED. Sealed material contains confidential 

business information.

157-26 Ex. 24 to 

Glasser Decl.

SEALED. Sealed material contains confidential 

business information.

157-27 Ex. 26 to 

Glasser Decl.

SEALED. Sealed material contains confidential 

business information.

157-28 Ex. 27 to 

Glasser Decl.

SEALED. Sealed material contains confidential 

business information.

157-30 Ex. 28 to 

Glasser Decl.

Designations highlighted 

in yellow SEALED.

Sealed material contains confidential 

business information.

157-31 Ex. 29 to 

Glasser Decl.

UNSEALED. Not narrowly tailored to confidential 

business information.

157-32 Ex. 30 to 

Glasser Decl.

SEALED. Sealed material contains confidential 

business information.

157-33 Ex. 31 to 

Glasser Decl.

SEALED. Sealed material contains confidential 

business information.

157-34 Ex. 32 to 

Glasser Decl.

SEALED. Sealed material contains confidential 

business information.

157-35 Ex. 33 to 

Glasser Decl.

SEALED. Sealed material contains confidential 

business information.

157-37 Ex. 34 to 

Glasser Decl.

Designations highlighted 

in yellow SEALED.

Sealed material contains confidential 

business information.

157-39 Ex. 35 to 

Glasser Decl.

Designations highlighted 

in yellow SEALED.

Sealed material contains confidential 

business information.

Case 5:15-cv-02543-BLF Document 174 Filed 08/15/16 Page 4 of 7
5

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

United States District Court

Northern District of California

157-41 Declaration of 

Lisa S. 

Glasser in 

opposition to 

Toshiba’s 

motion for 

summary 

judgment

Designations highlighted 

in yellow SEALED.

Sealed material contains confidential 

business information.

157-43 Declaration of 

Christopher 

M. Pickett in 

opposition to 

Toshiba’s 

motion for 

summary 

judgment

Designations highlighted 

in yellow SEALED.

Sealed material contains confidential 

business information.

157-45 Tessera’s 

opposition to 

Toshiba’s 

motion for 

partial 

summary 

judgment

Designations highlighted 

in yellow at

i:7-10,

1:11-13, 17-26,

2:1-14, 18-19,

3:9-13, 20-21, 28

4:1-2, 8-28,

5:1-2, 5-7, 11-19, 24, 28 

(company name only),

6:9-19,

7:17-19,

8:2-3, 11-20,

9:25-26,

10:3-9, 23-26,

12:8, 11-28,

13:1-8, 12-28,

14:1-3, 8-15, 21-25,

15:8-28,

16:1-11, 14-20,

17:20-22,

18:9-17, 26-27,

19:19-22,

20:14-16

SEALED; remainder 

UNSEALED.

Only sealed portions contain confidential 

business information.

Case 5:15-cv-02543-BLF Document 174 Filed 08/15/16 Page 5 of 7
6

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

United States District Court

Northern District of California

159-4 Toshiba’s 

opposition to 

Tessera’s 

motion for 

summary 

judgment

Designations highlighted 

in yellow SEALED; 

remainder UNSEALED.

Only sealed portions contain confidential 

business information.

159-5 Ex. 1 to Liang 

Decl.

SEALED. Sealed material contains confidential 

business information.

159-6 Ex. 2 to Liang 

Decl.

SEALED. Sealed material contains confidential 

business information.

159-7 Ex. 3 to Liang 

Decl.

SEALED. Sealed material contains confidential 

business information.

159-8 Ex. 4 to Liang 

Decl.

SEALED. Sealed material contains confidential 

business information.

159-9 Ex. 5 to Liang 

Decl.

SEALED. Sealed material contains confidential 

business information.

159-10 Ex. 6 to Liang 

Decl.

SEALED. Sealed material contains confidential 

business information.

159-11 Ex. 7 to Liang 

Decl.

SEALED. Sealed material contains confidential 

business information.

159-12 Ex. 8 to Liang 

Decl.

SEALED. Sealed material contains confidential 

business information.

159-13 Ex. 12 to 

Liang Decl.

SEALED. Sealed material contains confidential 

business information.

159-14 Ex. 13 to 

Liang Decl.

SEALED. Sealed material contains confidential 

business information.

159-15 Ex. 14 to 

Liang Decl.

SEALED. Sealed material contains confidential 

business information.

159-16 Ex. 15 to 

Liang Decl.

SEALED. Sealed material contains confidential 

business information.

159-17 Ex. 16 to 

Liang Decl.

UNSEALED. Not narrowly tailored to confidential 

business information.

159-18 Ex. 17 to 

Liang Decl.

SEALED. Sealed material contains confidential 

business information.

159-19 Ex. 18 to 

Liang Decl.

SEALED. Sealed material contains confidential 

business information.

159-20 Ex. 19 to 

Liang Decl.

UNSEALED. Not narrowly tailored to confidential 

business information.

163-4 Tessera’s 

motion to 

strike

Designations highlighted 

in yellow at

1:22-26,

4:21-22,

5:1-8, 10-14, 23-24, 27-28

SEALED; remainder 

UNSEALED.

Only sealed portions contain confidential 

business information.

Case 5:15-cv-02543-BLF Document 174 Filed 08/15/16 Page 6 of 7
7

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

United States District Court

Northern District of California

163-5 Ex. 1 to 

Glucoft Decl.

SEALED. Sealed material contains confidential 

business information.

163-6 Ex. 3 to 

Glucoft Decl.

UNSEALED. Contains information designated as 

confidential by Toshiba, but Toshiba has 

not filed a declaration in support as 

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

163-7 Ex. 4 to 

Glucoft Decl.

UNSEALED. Contains information designated as 

confidential by Toshiba, but Toshiba has 

not filed a declaration in support as 

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

163-8 Ex. 5 to 

Glucoft Decl.

UNSEALED. Contains information designated as 

confidential by Toshiba, but Toshiba has 

not filed a declaration in support as 

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

167-4 Toshiba’s 

opposition to 

Tessera’s 

motion to 

strike

Designations highlighted 

in green SEALED; 

remainder UNSEALED.

Sealed material contains confidential 

business information.

167-5 Ex. A to 

Liang Decl.

SEALED. Sealed material contains confidential 

business information.

167-6 Ex. B to Liang 

Decl.

UNSEALED. Not narrowly tailored to confidential 

business information.

167-7 Ex. C to 

Glucoft Decl.

Designations highlighted 

in green SEALED; 

remainder UNSEALED.

Sealed material contains confidential 

business information.

The parties may renew their motions to seal the documents the Court has identified as not 

narrowly tailored or for which the designating party has not filed a declaration in support. Any

renewed motions must comport with Civ. L.R. 79-5(d) and (e) and be filed by August 19, 2016.

IT IS SO ORDERED.

Dated: August 15, 2016

 ______________________________________

BETH LABSON FREEMAN

United States District Judge

Case 5:15-cv-02543-BLF Document 174 Filed 08/15/16 Page 7 of 7