Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-cand-3_15-cv-00069/USCOURTS-cand-3_15-cv-00069-0/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 820
Nature of Suit: Copyright
Cause of Action: 17:101 Copyright Infringement

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United States District Court

For the Northern District of California

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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

E&E CO., LTD.,

Plaintiff,

v.

LIGHT IN THE BOX LIMITED,

Defendant.

___________________________________/

No. C-15-0069 EMC

ORDER GRANTING PLAINTIFF’S

MOTION FOR ORDER APPOINTING

INTERNATIONAL PROCESS SERVER

(Docket No. 16)

Plaintiff E&E Co., Ltd. has filed suit against Light in the Box Limited (“LIB”), a Hong Kong

company, asserting claims for, inter alia copyright infringement and false designation of origin in

violation of the Lanham Act. E&E filed the lawsuit on January 7, 2015. Currently pending before

the Court is a motion in which E&E asks for assistance in getting the complaint served on LIB, as it

is outside the United States. More specifically, E&E asks the Court to issue an order appointing a

third party – Crowe Foreign Services – as an authority and judicial officer competent under the

jurisdiction of the Court to forward to the Central Authority in Hong Kong a request for service of

process.

Having reviewed E&E’s motion and accompanying submissions, including but not limited to

the declaration of Celeste Ingalls, the Court hereby GRANTS E&E’s motion. 

As E&E notes, Hong Kong is subject to the Hague Convention on the Service Abroad of

Judicial and Extrajudicial Documents in Civil or Commercial Matters (November 15, 1965). See

Hague Conference on Private International Law, Declarations Notifications, Hong Kong, available

at http://www.hcch.net/index_en.php?act=status.comment&csid=393&disp=resdn (last visited

Case 3:15-cv-00069-EMC Document 19 Filed 04/30/15 Page 1 of 2
United States District Court

For the Northern District of California

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March 26, 2015) (reflecting that the Hague Convention was extended to Hong Kong by the United

Kingdom and then, subsequently, by China). Furthermore, the declaration of Ms. Ingalls indicates

as follows with respect to Hong Kong’s participation in the Hague Service Convention:

(1) “The Office of the Chief Secretary of Hong Kong (designated Central Authority by the Hong

Kong Special Administrative Region Government) has informed me that their interpretation

of Article 3 [of the Hague Service Convention] is such that they deem officers of the United

States Courts only to be the authorized entity to request service through the Hague Service

Convention,” and

(2) Hong Kong “requires that an individual requesting service be specifically authorized by the

forum court as a competent officer of the court for the purpose of requesting service in

accordance with the Hague Service Convention.”

Ingalls Decl. ¶¶ 7-8.

Given the Ingalls declaration, the Court grants E&E’s motion and further shall issue an order

substantially similar to that proposed by E&E. The Court has modified E&E’s proposed order so as

to be consistent with the statements made in the Ingalls declaration. The order appointing

international process server shall be filed forthwith.

This order disposes of Docket No. 16.

IT IS SO ORDERED.

Dated: April 30, 2015

_________________________

EDWARD M. CHEN

United States District Judge

Case 3:15-cv-00069-EMC Document 19 Filed 04/30/15 Page 2 of 2