Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-cand-5_06-cv-00125/USCOURTS-cand-5_06-cv-00125-0/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 190
Nature of Suit: Other Contract Actions
Cause of Action: 28:1442 Petition for Removal- Breach of Contract

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STIPULATED PROTECTIVE ORDER 

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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 

NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 

SAN JOSE DIVISION 

Case No. C 06-00125 JW 

STIPULATED PROTECTIVE 

ORDER 

SYSLUTIONS, INC., a California corporation, 

 Plaintiff, 

vs. 

CITECT, INC., formerly doing business as 

CITECHNOLOGIES, INC., a North Carolina 

Corporation, and DOES 1 to 100, inclusive, 

 Defendants. 

Each Party and each Counsel of Record stipulate and move the Court for a Protective 

Order pursuant to Rule 26(c) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure concerning the treatment 

of Confidential Information (as hereinafter defined), and, as grounds therefore, state as follows: 

1. In this action and any related proceedings (collectively, the “Proceedings”), at 

least one of the Parties has sought and/or is seeking Confidential Information (as defined in 

paragraph 2 below). The Parties also anticipate seeking additional Confidential Information 

during discovery and that there will be questioning concerning Confidential Information in the 

course of depositions. The Parties assert the disclosure of such information outside the scope of 

this litigation could result in significant injury to one or more of the Parties’ business or privacy 

interests. The Parties have entered into this Stipulation and request the Court enter the within 

Protective Order for the purpose of preventing the disclosure and use of Confidential 

Information except as set forth herein. 

*E-FILED 5/10/06*

Case 5:06-cv-00125-JW Document 14 Filed 05/10/06 Page 1 of 7
 

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STIPULATED PROTECTIVE ORDER 

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2. “Confidential Information” means any document, file, portions of files, 

transcribed testimony, or response to a discovery request, including any extract, abstract, chart, 

summary, note, or copy made therefrom—not made available to the public—and designated by 

one of the Parties in the manner provided in paragraph 3 below as containing: trade secrets, 

confidential or proprietary information. 

3. Where Confidential Information is produced, provided or otherwise disclosed by 

a Party in response to any discovery request, it will be designated in the following manner: 

(a) By imprinting the word “Confidential” or “Highly Confidential--Attorneys’ Eyes 

Only” on each page of any document produced; 

(b) By imprinting the word “Confidential” or “Highly Confidential—Attorneys’ Eyes 

Only” next to or above any response to a discovery request; and 

(c) With respect to transcribed testimony, by giving written notice to opposing 

counsel designating such portions as “Confidential” or “Highly Confidential—

Attorneys’ Eyes Only” no later than ten calendar days after receipt of the 

transcribed testimony. 

4. Certain limited documents and other information that contain trade secret or other 

highly proprietary and confidential information of the parties can be designated “Highly 

Confidential—Attorneys’ Eyes Only” where there is a substantial reason to preclude one or 

more other parties from becoming aware thereof which outweighs the claimed needs of those 

parties. 

5. All Confidential Information provided by a Party in response to a discovery 

request or transcribed testimony shall be subject to the following restrictions: 

(a) It shall be used only for the purpose of this litigation and not for any business or 

other purpose whatsoever; 

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STIPULATED PROTECTIVE ORDER 

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(b) It shall not be communicated or disclosed by any Party’s counsel or a Party in 

any manner, either directly or indirectly, to anyone except for purposes of this 

case and unless an affidavit in the form of Exhibit A has been signed. 

(c) Further, Confidential Information designated as “Highly Confidential—

Attorneys’ Eyes Only” shall not be communicated in any manner, either directly or indirectly, 

to any person or entity, including the parties, other than outside attorneys for the parties 

(excluding in-house counsel), necessary employees of such outside attorneys, and bona fide 

outside experts of a party. Confidential Information designated as “Highly Confidential—

Attorneys’ Eyes Only” may be disclosed to bona fide outside experts of a party only under the 

following conditions. 

(i) Such experts shall be identified in a writing delivered via overnight mail to all 

other counsel that sets forth the full name and residence address of the expert, 

attaches a copy of the expert’s current curriculum vitae, and identifies all 

proceedings in which the expert has provided professional services during the 

preceding five (5) years. 

(ii) No counsel serves a written objection via overnight mail to disclosure to such 

expert within five (5) business days of receiving such notice. 

(iii) Within five (5) business days of receiving any written objection, the parties 

shall meet and confer via direct voice to voice dialogue regarding the basis for 

the objection in an attempt to resolve the issues. 

(iv) Any counsel still objecting to such disclosure must, within five (5) business 

days of the meet and confer conference, file a motion with the Court seeking 

to disqualify the expert as a person eligible to receive “Confidential 

Information.” Upon the receipt of such a written objection and subsequent 

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STIPULATED PROTECTIVE ORDER 

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filing of a motion, no Confidential Information shall be disclosed to the expert 

until the Court has ruled on the motion. 

(d) Prior to disclosure of any designated Confidential Information to consulting or 

testifying expert witnesses, counsel shall secure the expert’s signature on an agreement in the 

form attached as Exhibit A hereto, that such expert will be bound by the terms and conditions 

contained in this Stipulated Protective Order. 

6. Individuals authorized to review Confidential Information pursuant to this 

Protective Order shall hold Confidential Information in confidence and shall not divulge the 

Confidential Information, either verbally or in writing, to any other person, entity or 

government agency unless authorized to do so by court order. 

7. The Party’s counsel who discloses Confidential Information shall be responsible 

for assuring compliance with the terms of this Protective Order with respect to persons to whom 

such Confidential Information is disclosed and shall obtain and retain the original affidavits 

signed by qualified recipients of Confidential Information, and shall maintain a list of all 

persons to whom any Confidential Information is disclosed. 

8. During the pendency of this action, opposing counsel may upon court order or 

agreement of the parties inspect the list maintained by counsel pursuant to paragraph 7 above 

upon a showing of substantial need in order to establish the source of an unauthorized 

disclosure of Confidential Information and that opposing counsel are unable otherwise to 

identify the source of the disclosure. If counsel disagrees with opposing counsel’s showing of 

substantial need, then counsel may seek a court order requiring inspection under terms and 

conditions deemed appropriate by the Court. 

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STIPULATED PROTECTIVE ORDER 

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9. No copies of Confidential Information shall be made except by or on behalf of 

counsel in this litigation and such copies shall be made and used solely for purposes of this 

litigation. 

10. During the pendency of this litigation, counsel shall retain custody of 

Confidential Information, and copies made therefrom pursuant to paragraph 9 above, except to 

the extent that one copy of Confidential Information may be delivered to each bona fide outside 

expert, subject to the provisions of paragraph 5 above. 

11. If opposing counsel objects to the designation of certain information as 

Confidential Information, he or she shall promptly inform the other Parties’ counsel in writing 

of the specific grounds of objection to the designation. All counsel shall then, in good faith and 

on an informal basis, attempt to resolve such dispute by, inter alia, direct voice to voice 

dialogue. If after such good faith attempt all counsel are unable to resolve their dispute, counsel 

claiming information as Confidential may move for an order establishing the information as 

Confidential consistent with this order. Any such motion shall be filed within 14 days of receipt 

by counsel of notice of opposing counsel’s objection, and the information shall continue to have 

Confidential Information status from the time it is produced until the ruling by the Court on the 

motion. In any proceeding regarding Confidential Information, the party claiming information 

as Confidential shall have the burden of so proving. 

12. At the trial, Confidential Information may be utilized, but the disclosing party 

may request the Court to make such orders as appropriate to protect competitive advantages or 

needs. In the event Confidential Information is used in any court filing or proceeding in this 

action including, but not limited to, its use at trial, it shall not lose its confidential status as 

between the parties through such use. Confidential Information and pleadings or briefs quoting 

or discussing Confidential Information will not be accepted for filing “under seal” or otherwise 

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STIPULATED PROTECTIVE ORDER 

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kept out of the public record in this action, however, except by court order issued upon motion 

of the party seeking to file the documents under seal. Any motion requesting leave to file 

documents under seal shall comply with the requirements of the local rules of this Court and 

demonstrate that the Confidential Information at issue is entitled to protection under the 

standards articulated in Nixon v. Warner Communications, Inc., 435 U.S. 589, 598–602 (1978). 

13. The termination of this action shall not relieve counsel or other persons obligated 

hereunder from their responsibility to maintain the confidentiality of Confidential Information 

pursuant to this Protective Order, and the Court shall retain continuing jurisdiction to enforce 

the terms of this Protective Order in the Proceedings. 

14. By agreeing to the entry of this Protective Order, the Parties adopt no position as 

to the authenticity or admissibility of documents produced subject to it. 

15. Upon termination of the Proceedings, including any appeals, each Party’s counsel 

shall immediately return to the producing party or certify the destruction of all Confidential 

Information provided subject to this Protective Order, and all extracts, abstracts, charts, 

summaries, notes or copies made therefrom. At that time, counsel shall also file under seal with 

this Court the list of individuals who have received Confidential Information which counsel 

shall have maintained pursuant to paragraph 7 herein. 

16. Nothing in this Protective Order shall preclude any Party from filing a motion 

seeking further or different protection from the Court under Rule 26(c) of the Federal Rules of 

Civil Procedure, or from filing a motion with respect to the manner in which Confidential 

Information shall be treated at trial. 

17. Acceptance by a party of any information, document, or thing identified as 

“Confidential” or “Highly Confidential--Attorneys’ Eyes Only” hereunder shall not constitute a 

concession that the information, document or thing is, in fact, confidential. 

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STIPULATED PROTECTIVE ORDER 

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IT IS SO STIPULATED, THROUGH COUNSEL OF RECORD. 

DATED:__May 2, 2006_________________ ______/S/____TOM FIER________________

 Attorneys for Plaintiff 

DATED:__May 10, 2006________________ ______/S/____MARCIA E. GERSTON_____

 Attorneys for Defendant 

PURSUANT TO STIPULATION, IT IS SO ORDERED 

this ________ day of ______________________, 2006 

______________________________________ 

Richard Seeborg

United States Magistrate Judge 

10th May

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