Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-cand-5_03-cv-05669/USCOURTS-cand-5_03-cv-05669-58/pdf.json

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

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United States District Court

For the Northern District of California

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*E-FILED 10/12/07*

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

SAN JOSE DIVISION

THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF

CALIFORNIA, 

Plaintiff/Counterclaim Defendant,

 v.

MICRO THERAPEUTICS, INC., et al,

Defendants/Counterclaimants and Third

 Party Plaintiffs,

 v.

BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION, et al.

 Third Party Defendants.

 /

NO. C 03 05669 JW (RS)

ORDER GRANTING MOTION

TO COMPEL

Defendants’ motion to compel filed on October 11, 2007 has been considered on shortened

time pursuant to the parties’ stipulation and the Court’s order of the same date. The motion is

GRANTED. Plaintiff’s trial brief states its intention to prove that, “Mr. Dawes went above and

beyond his obligations to the PTO during prosecution . . . . Although not required, Mr. Dawes even

requested an independent prior art search, incorporating the results of that search into the patent

application. No intent to deceive can be found in light of this evidence.” Because the fact that Mr.

Dawes commissioned an “independent prior art search” is being used as evidence of his good faith,

plaintiff has squarely put in issue the materials it claims are privileged. Plaintiff is correct that

Case 5:03-cv-05669-JW Document 946 Filed 10/12/07 Page 1 of 4
United States District Court

For the Northern District of California

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C 03 05669 JW (RS) 

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relevance is not a basis for piercing the privilege, but affirmative reliance gives rise to an implied

waiver. See Chevron Corp. v. Pennzoil Co., 974 F.2d 1156, 1162 (9th Cir. 1992) (“The privilege

which protects attorney-client communications may not be used both as a sword and a shield.

[Citation.] Where a party raises a claim which in fairness requires disclosure of the protected

communication, the privilege may be implicitly waived.”) 

Here, plaintiff cannot offer the fact of the search to prove Dawes’s good faith (or, more

precisely, to rebut defendant’s claims of inequitable conduct) while simultaneously shielding

information as to what he may have known about how that search was conducted and other such

matters. Finally, the fact that defendants may have known about the search long ago does not make

the motion to compel untimely, given that it was brought promptly upon plaintiff’s disclosure of its

intent to rely on the search in the manner described above.

IT IS SO ORDERED.

Dated: October 12, 2007 

RICHARD SEEBORG

United States Magistrate Judge

Case 5:03-cv-05669-JW Document 946 Filed 10/12/07 Page 2 of 4
United States District Court

For the Northern District of California

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C 03 05669 JW (RS) 

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THIS IS TO CERTIFY THAT NOTICE OF THIS ORDER HAS BEEN GIVEN TO:

David L. Anstaett david.anstaett@hellerehrman.com

Gabrielle E. Bina gabrielle.bina@hellerehrman.com

Wendy Lynn Bjerknes Wbjerknes@fenwick.com

Henry Zuzueta Carbajal , III hcarbajal@fenwick.com, ssanford@fenwick.com

Carolyn Chang cchang@fenwick.com, vschmitt@fenwick.com

Chien-Ju Alice Chuang achuang@fenwick.com, dyoungman@fenwick.com

Charles G. Curtis , Jr charles.curtis@hellerehrman.com

J. Anthony Downs jdowns@goodwinprocter.com

Julie Lynn Fieber jfieber@flk.com

Rita A. Hao rita.hao@ucop.edu

David J. Harth david.harth@hellerehrman.com, patricia.dean@hellerehrman.com,

teresa.anders@hellerehrman.com, theresa.gresl@hellerehrman.com

David Edwin Jones dejones@hewm.com

Michael Francis Kelleher mkelleher@flk.com

Amanda Marie Kessel akessel@goodwinprocter.com

Lissa Rose Koop Lissa.Koop@Hellerehrman.com

Charlene Marie Morrow cmorrow@fenwick.com

Autumn Noelle Nero autumn.nero@hellerehrman.com, djmorgan@hellerehrman.com,

Sarah.Stephens@hellerehrman.com

Lynn Harold Pasahow lpasahow@fenwick.com, tchow@fenwick.com

Nicole Elise Perroton nperroton@goodwinprocter.com, lthomas@goodwinprocter.com

Michael Kenneth Plimack mplimack@hewm.com

Patrick Eugene Premo ppremo@fenwick.com, kculp@fenwick.com, mguidoux@fenwick.com

Colin G. Sandercock csandercock@proskauer.com, cherron@proskauer.com

Roland Schwillinski rschwillinski@goodwinprocter.com

Michael Jeffrey Shuster mshuster@fenwick.com, tthomas@fenwick.com

John S. Skilton john.skilton@hellerehrman.com

Case 5:03-cv-05669-JW Document 946 Filed 10/12/07 Page 3 of 4
United States District Court

For the Northern District of California

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Allison H Stiles astiles@goodwinprocter.com

Michael G. Strapp mstrapp@goodwinprocter.com

Patrick Shaun Thompson pthompson@goodwinprocter.com

Michelle M. Umberger michelle.umberger@hellerehrman.com,

zina.seyferth@hellerehrman.com

Sarah C. Walkenhorst swalkenhorst@hewm.com

Paul F. Ware , Jr pware@goodwinprocter.com

Counsel are responsible for distributing copies of this document to co-counsel who have not

registered for e-filing under the Court's CM/ECF program. 

Dated: 10/12/07 Chambers of Judge Richard Seeborg

By: /s/ BAK 

Case 5:03-cv-05669-JW Document 946 Filed 10/12/07 Page 4 of 4