Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-cand-5_14-cv-05344/USCOURTS-cand-5_14-cv-05344-22/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 830
Nature of Suit: Patent
Cause of Action: 15:1126 Patent Infringement

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United States District Court

Northern District of California

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

SAN JOSE DIVISION

CISCO SYSTEMS INC,

Plaintiff,

v.

ARISTA NETWORKS, INC.,

Defendant.

Case No. 14-cv-05344-BLF 

ORDER GRANTING IN PART 

MOTIONS TO SEAL

[Re: ECF 331, 328]

This order modifies the Court’s prior order, ECF 487, and specifically addresses parties’

administrative motions to file under seal portions of their briefing and exhibits in support of their

motions for partial summary judgment at ECF 331, 328. For the reasons stated below, the 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 and Cnty. 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)). Consequently, access to motions and their attachments that are 

“more than tangentially related to the merits of a case” may be sealed only upon a showing of 

“compelling reasons” for sealing. Ctr. for Auto Safety v. Chrysler Grp., LLC, 809 F.3d 1092, 

Case 5:14-cv-05344-BLF Document 520 Filed 09/16/16 Page 1 of 5
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1101–02 (9th Cir. 2016). Filings that are only tangentially related to the merits may be sealed 

upon a lesser showing of “good cause.” Id. at 1097. In addition, sealing motions filed in this 

district must be “narrowly tailored to seek sealing only of sealable material.” Civil L.R. 79-5(b). 

A party moving to seal a document in whole or in part must file a declaration establishing that the 

identified material is “sealable.” 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.” Id.

II. DISCUSSION

The Court has reviewed the parties’ sealing motions and respective declarations in support 

thereof. The Court finds the parties have articulated compelling reasons to seal certain portions of 

most of the submitted documents. The proposed redactions are also narrowly tailored. The 

Court’s rulings on the sealing requests are set forth in the tables below:

A. ECF 331

Identification of Documents 

to be Sealed

Description of Documents Court’s Order

Cisco’s Motion for Partial 

Summary Judgment

Line 23 on page 7 to line 1 on 

page 8; lines 18-22 on page 9

lines 1-8, 14-15, 17-21 on page 

10; line 27 on page 10 to line1 

on page 11; lines 2-3, 7-10, 17-

21 on page 11; line 26 on page 

11 to line 2 on page 12; lines 

7-10, 24-27 on page 12;

lines 17-19 on page 15;

lines 13-15, 19-23 on page 16; 

lines 17-21 on page 18;

lines 20-24 on page 19;

lines 25-27 on page 21;

lines 1, 16-19 on page 22; and

lines 5-8 on page 24 contain 

Arista’s confidential product 

and source code information, 

and reference exhibits sought 

to be sealed.

GRANTED as to line 23 on 

page 7 to line 1 on page 8; 

lines 18-22 on page 9

lines 1-8, 14-15, 17-21 on page 

10; line 27 on page 10 to line1 

on page 11; lines 2-3, 7-10, 17-

21 on page 11; line 26 on page 

11 to line 2 on page 12; lines 

7-10, 24-27 on page 12;

lines 17-19 on page 15;

lines 13-15, 19-23 on page 16; 

lines 17-21 on page 18;

lines 20-24 on page 19;

lines 25-27 on page 21;

lines 1, 16-19 on page 22; and

lines 5-8 on page 24; and 

DENIED as to remainder.

Exhibits 1-26; 40-41; 44-

48; 51-53; 64-70; 72; 74-

Arista does not seek to seal 

Exhibits 44, 45, 48, 64, 66, 70, 

GRANTED as to specified 

portions of Exhibits 47, 65, 67, 

Case 5:14-cv-05344-BLF Document 520 Filed 09/16/16 Page 2 of 5
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United States District Court

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75; 77-82 to the Declaration of 

Amy H. Candido in Support of 

Cisco’s Motion for Partial 

Summary Judgment 

and 74.

Line 7 on page 165 to line 25 

on page 176 and line 1 on page 

216 to line 25 on page 219 of 

Exhibit 47 contain confidential 

information related to Arista’s 

software design and customer 

information.

Lines 3- 25 on page 88; line 22 

on page 89 to line 25 on page 

90; and lines 11-25 on page 

238 of Exhibit 65 contain 

Arista’s confidential business 

information.

Line 24 on page 176 to line 25 

on page 178; line 2 on page 

325 to line 25 on page 330;

and lines 1-20 on page 345 of 

Exhibit 67 contain Arista’s 

confidential customer 

information.

Lines 9-25 on page 101 of 

Exhibit 68 contain Arista’s 

confidential business 

information.

Lines 2-1 on page 39 of 

Exhibit 72 contain Arista’s 

confidential product 

information.

The remaining exhibits in their 

entirety contain confidential 

information related to Arista’s 

product development, sales 

strategies, or business 

information.

68, and 72; and Exhibits 1-26, 

40-41, 44-46, 48, 51-53, 66, 

69, 73-75, 77-82, in their 

entirety; and DENIED as to 

remainder.

Exhibits 55, 58 to Declaration 

of Amy H. Candido in Support 

of Cisco’s Motion for Partial 

Summary Judgment

Highlighted portion at lines 4 

to 24 on page 16 of Exhibit 55 

contains confidential 

information related to Arista’s 

source code.

Arista does not seek to seal 

GRANTED as to highlighted 

portions of Exhibit 55; and 

DENIED as to remainder.

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United States District Court

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Exhibit 58.

Exhibit 54 to Declaration of 

Amy H. Candido in Support of 

Cisco’s Motion for Partial 

Summary Judgment

Highlighted portions contain 

Cisco’s confidential source 

code information.

GRANTED.

Exhibit 50 to Declaration of 

Amy H. Candido in Support of 

Cisco’s Motion for Partial 

Summary Judgment

Hewlett Packard did not file a 

declaration in support of 

sealing this exhibit.

DENIED.

Exhibit 76 to Declaration of 

Amy H. Candido in Support of 

Cisco’s Motion for Partial 

Summary Judgment

Arista does not seek to seal 

this exhibit.

DENIED.

Exhibit 1 to Declaration of 

Judith A. Chevalier in Support 

of Cisco’s Motion for Partial 

Summary Judgment

Highlighted portions contain 

Arista’s confidential business 

information.

GRANTED.

Exhibit 1 to Declaration of 

Kevin Almeroth in Support of 

Cisco’s Motion for Partial 

Summary Judgment

Highlighted portions contain 

Arista’s confidential business 

and marketing information.

GRANTED.

Exhibit 2 to Declaration of 

Kevin Almeroth in Support of 

Cisco’s Motion for Partial 

Summary Judgment

Highlighted portions contain 

Arista’s confidential product 

and marketing information.

GRANTED.

B. ECF 328

Identification of Documents 

to be Sealed

Description of Documents Court’s Order

Exhibit 10 to the Declaration 

of Eduardo E. Santacana In 

Support of Defendant Arista 

Networks, Inc.’s Motion For 

Partial Summary Judgment 

A portion of the deposition 

transcript of Kirk Lougheed at 

362:16-371:16 contains 

information of third party 

source code and Cisco 

products.

GRANTS as 362:16-371:16; 

and DENIED as to remainder.

Exhibit 11 to the Declaration 

of Eduardo E. Santacana In 

Support of Defendant Arista 

Networks, Inc.’s Motion For 

Partial Summary 

Judgment 

Portions of the deposition 

transcript of Kirk Lougheed at 

55:2-56:18 and 157:8-159:17 

contain information of third 

party source code and Cisco 

products.

GRANTS as 55:2-56:18 and 

157:8-159:17; and DENIED as 

to remainder.

Exhibit 17 to the Declaration 

of Eduardo E. Santacana In 

Support of Defendant Arista 

Networks, Inc.’s Motion For 

Partial Summary Judgment

Contains confidential 

information on Cisco’s 

products.

GRANTED.

Exhibits 1-3, 7-9, 16, 18, 19, Cisco does not seek to seal DENIED.

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United States District Court

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and 22-24 to the Declaration of 

Eduardo E. Santacana In 

Support of Defendant Arista 

Networks, Inc.’s Motion For 

Partial Summary Judgment 

these exhibits.

IT IS SO ORDERED.

Dated: September 16, 2016

 ______________________________________

BETH LABSON FREEMAN

United States District Judge

Case 5:14-cv-05344-BLF Document 520 Filed 09/16/16 Page 5 of 5