Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-cand-3_12-cv-06153/USCOURTS-cand-3_12-cv-06153-7/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
Neoconix, Inc.
Counter-defendant
R&D Circuits, Inc.
Counter-claimant
R&D Sockets, Inc.
Counter-claimant

Document Text:

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796129.01 

STUART L. GASNER / AJAY S. KRISHNAN

KEKER & VAN NEST LLP 

633 Battery Street 

San Francisco, CA 94111-1809 

415 391 5400 

sgasner@kvn.com 

akrishnan@kvn.com 

Attorneys for NEOCONIX, INC. 

ERICH FALKE / CHARLIE C. LYU

WOODCOCK WASHBURN LLP 

Cira Centre, 12th Floor 

2929 Arch Street 

Philadelphia, PA 19104-2891 

(215) 568-3100 

efalke@woodcock.com 

clyu@woodcock.com 

NAOMI JANE GRAY 

HARVEY SISKIND LLP 

Four Embarcadero Center, 39th Floor 

San Francisco, CA 94111 

(415) 354-0100 

ngray@harveysiskind.com 

Attorneys for R&D CIRCUITS, INC. 

and R&D SOCKETS, INC. 

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 

NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 

NEOCONIX, INC., 

Plaintiff/Counter-Defendant, 

v. 

R&D CIRCUITS, INC., 

Defendant, 

and 

R&D SOCKETS, INC., 

Defendant/Counterclaim-Plaintiff. 

Case No. 12-cv-06153 MMC 

STIPULATED PROTECTIVE ORDER FOR 

LITIGATION INVOLVING PATENTS, 

HIGHLY SENSITIVE CONFIDENTIAL 

INFORMATION AND/OR TRADE 

SECRETS 

Judge: Hon. Maxine M. Chesney 

Complaint Filed: December 4, 2012 

Trial Date: None Set 

1. PURPOSES AND LIMITATIONS 

Disclosure and discovery activity in this action are likely to involve production of confidential, 

proprietary, or private information for which special protection from public disclosure and from use for any 

purpose other than prosecuting this litigation may be warranted. Accordingly, the parties hereby stipulate to 

and petition the court to enter the following Stipulated Protective Order. The parties acknowledge that this 

Order does not confer blanket protections on all disclosures or responses to discovery and that the protection 

Case 3:12-cv-06153-MMC Document 38 Filed 01/02/14 Page 1 of 17
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it affords from public disclosure and use extends only to the limited information or items that are entitled to 

confidential treatment under the applicable legal principles. The parties further acknowledge, as set forth in 

Section 13.3, below, that this Stipulated Protective Order does not entitle them to file confidential 

information under seal; Civil Local Rule 79-5 sets forth the procedures that must be followed and the 

standards that will be applied when a party seeks permission from the court to file material under seal. 

2. DEFINITIONS 

2.1 Challenging Party: a Party or Non-Party that challenges the designation of information or 

items under this Order. 

2.2 “CONFIDENTIAL” Information or Items: information (regardless of how it is generated, 

stored or maintained) or tangible things that qualify for protection under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 

26(c). 

2.3 Counsel (without qualifier): Outside Counsel of Record and House Counsel (as well as their 

support staff). 

2.4 Designating Party: a Party or Non-Party that designates information or items that it 

produces in disclosures or in responses to discovery as “CONFIDENTIAL” or “HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL 

– ATTORNEYS’ EYES ONLY.” 

2.5 Disclosure or Discovery Material: all items or information, regardless of the medium or 

manner in which it is generated, stored, or maintained (including, among other things, testimony, transcripts, 

and tangible things), that are produced or generated in disclosures or responses to discovery in this matter. 

2.6 Expert: a person with specialized knowledge or experience in a matter pertinent to the 

litigation who (1) has been retained by a Party or its counsel to serve as an expert witness or as a consultant 

in this action, (2) is not a current employee of a Party or of a Party’s competitor, and (3) at the time of 

retention, is not anticipated to become an employee of a Party or of a Party’s competitor. 

2.7 “HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL – ATTORNEYS’ EYES ONLY” Information or Items: 

extremely sensitive “Confidential Information or Items,” disclosure of which to another Party or Non-Party 

would create a substantial risk of serious harm that could not be avoided by less restrictive means. 

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2.8 Non-Party: any natural person, partnership, corporation, association, or other legal entity 

not named as a Party to this action. 

2.9 Outside Counsel of Record: attorneys who are not employees of a party to this action but 

are retained to represent or advise a party to this action and have appeared in this action on behalf of that 

party or are affiliated with a law firm which has appeared on behalf of that party. 

2.10 Party: any party to this action, including all of its officers, directors, employees, consultants, 

retained experts, and Outside Counsel of Record (and their support staffs). 

2.11 Producing Party: a Party or Non-Party that produces Disclosure or Discovery Material in 

this action. 

2.12 Professional Vendors: persons or entities that provide litigation support services (e.g., 

photocopying, videotaping, translating, preparing exhibits or demonstrations, and organizing, storing, or 

retrieving data in any form or medium) and their employees and subcontractors. 

2.13 Protected Material: any Disclosure or Discovery Material that is designated as 

“CONFIDENTIAL,” or as “HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL – ATTORNEYS’ EYES ONLY.” 

2.14 Receiving Party: a Party that receives Disclosure or Discovery Material from a Producing 

Party. 

3. SCOPE 

The protections conferred by this Stipulation and Order cover not only Protected Material (as 

defined above), but also (1) any information copied or extracted from Protected Material; (2) all copies, 

excerpts, summaries, or compilations of Protected Material; and (3) any testimony, conversations, or 

presentations by Parties or their Counsel that might reveal Protected Material. However, the protections 

conferred by this Stipulation and Order do not cover the following information: (a) any information that is in 

the public domain at the time of disclosure to a Receiving Party or becomes part of the public domain after 

its disclosure to a Receiving Party as a result of publication not involving a violation of this Order, including 

becoming part of the public record through trial or otherwise; and (b) any information known to the 

Receiving Party prior to the disclosure or obtained by the Receiving Party after the disclosure from a source 

who obtained the information lawfully and under no obligation of confidentiality to the Designating Party. 

Any use of Protected Material at trial shall be governed by a separate agreement or order. 

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4. DURATION 

Even after final disposition of this litigation, the confidentiality obligations imposed by this Order 

shall remain in effect until a Designating Party agrees otherwise in writing or a court order otherwise 

directs. Final disposition shall be deemed to be the later of (1) dismissal of all claims and defenses in this 

action, with or without prejudice; and (2) final judgment herein after the completion and exhaustion of all 

appeals, rehearings, remands, trials, or reviews of this action, including the time limits for filing any motions 

or applications for extension of time pursuant to applicable law. 

5. DESIGNATING PROTECTED MATERIAL 

5.1 Exercise of Restraint and Care in Designating Material for Protection. Each Party or NonParty that designates information or items for protection under this Order must take care to limit any such 

designation to specific material that qualifies under the appropriate standards. To the extent it is practical to 

do so, the Designating Party must designate for protection only those parts of material, documents, items, or 

oral or written communications that qualify – so that other portions of the material, documents, items, or 

communications for which protection is not warranted are not swept unjustifiably within the ambit of this 

Order. 

Mass, indiscriminate, or routinized designations are prohibited. Designations that are shown to be 

clearly unjustified or that have been made for an improper purpose (e.g., to unnecessarily encumber or 

retard the case development process or to impose unnecessary expenses and burdens on other parties) 

expose the Designating Party to sanctions. 

If it comes to a Designating Party’s attention that information or items that it designated for 

protection do not qualify for protection at all or do not qualify for the level of protection initially asserted, 

that Designating Party must promptly notify all other parties that it is withdrawing the mistaken designation. 

5.2 Manner and Timing of Designations. Except as otherwise provided in this Order (see, e.g., 

second paragraph of section 5.2(a) below), or as otherwise stipulated or ordered, Disclosure or Discovery 

Material that qualifies for protection under this Order must be clearly so designated before the material is 

disclosed or produced. 

Designation in conformity with this Order requires: 

(a) for information in documentary form (e.g., paper or electronic documents, but excluding 

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transcripts of depositions or other pretrial or trial proceedings), that the Producing Party affix the legend 

“CONFIDENTIAL” or “HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL – ATTORNEYS’ EYES ONLY” to each page that 

contains protected material. If only a portion or portions of the material on a page qualifies for protection, 

the Producing Party also must clearly identify the protected portion(s) (e.g., by making appropriate markings 

in the margins) and must specify, for each portion, the level of protection being asserted. 

A Party or Non-Party that makes original documents or materials available for inspection need not 

designate them for protection until after the inspecting Party has indicated which material it would like 

copied and produced. During the inspection and before the designation, all of the material made available 

for inspection shall be deemed “HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL – ATTORNEYS’ EYES ONLY.” After the 

inspecting Party has identified the documents it wants copied and produced, the Producing Party must 

determine which documents, or portions thereof, qualify for protection under this Order. Then, before 

producing the specified documents, the Producing Party must affix the appropriate legend 

(“CONFIDENTIAL” or “HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL – ATTORNEYS’ EYES ONLY”) to each page that 

contains Protected Material. If only a portion or portions of the material on a page qualifies for protection, 

the Producing Party also must clearly identify the protected portion(s) (e.g., by making appropriate markings 

in the margins) and must specify, for each portion, the level of protection being asserted. 

(b) for testimony given in deposition or in other pretrial or trial proceedings, that the 

Designating Party identify on the record, before the close of the deposition, hearing, or other proceeding, all 

protected testimony and specify the level of protection being asserted. When it is impractical to identify 

separately each portion of testimony that is entitled to protection and it appears that substantial portions of 

the testimony may qualify for protection, the Designating Party may invoke on the record (before the 

deposition, hearing, or other proceeding is concluded) a right to have up to 21 days to identify the specific 

portions of the testimony as to which protection is sought and to specify the level of protection being 

asserted. Only those portions of the testimony that are appropriately designated for protection within the 21 

days shall be covered by the provisions of this Stipulated Protective Order. Alternatively, a Designating 

Party may specify, at the deposition or up to 21 days afterwards if that period is properly invoked, that the 

entire transcript shall be treated as “CONFIDENTIAL” or “HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL – ATTORNEYS’ 

EYES ONLY.” 

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Parties shall give the other parties notice if they reasonably expect a deposition, hearing or other 

proceeding to include Protected Material so that the other parties can ensure that only authorized individuals 

who have signed the “Acknowledgment and Agreement to Be Bound” (Exhibit A) are present at those 

proceedings. The use of a document as an exhibit at a deposition shall not in any way affect its designation 

as “CONFIDENTIAL” or “HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL – ATTORNEYS’ EYES ONLY.” 

Transcripts containing Protected Material shall have an obvious legend on the title page that the 

transcript contains Protected Material, and the title page shall be followed by a list of all pages (including 

line numbers as appropriate) that have been designated as Protected Material and the level of protection 

being asserted by the Designating Party. The Designating Party shall inform the court reporter of these 

requirements. Any transcript that is prepared before the expiration of a 21-day period for designation shall 

be treated during that period as if it had been designated “HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL – ATTORNEYS’ 

EYES ONLY” in its entirety unless otherwise agreed. After the expiration of that period, the transcript shall 

be treated only as actually designated. 

(c) for information produced in some form other than documentary and for any other 

tangible items, that the Producing Party affix in a prominent place on the exterior of the container or 

containers in which the information or item is stored the legend “CONFIDENTIAL” or “HIGHLY 

CONFIDENTIAL – ATTORNEYS’ EYES ONLY”. If only a portion or portions of the information or item 

warrant protection, the Producing Party, to the extent practicable, shall identify the protected portion(s) and 

specify the level of protection being asserted. 

5.3 Inadvertent Failures to Designate. If timely corrected, an inadvertent failure to designate 

qualified information or items does not, standing alone, waive the Designating Party’s right to secure 

protection under this Order for such material. Upon timely correction of a designation, the Receiving Party 

must make reasonable efforts to assure that the material is treated in accordance with the provisions of this 

Order. 

6. CHALLENGING CONFIDENTIALITY DESIGNATIONS 

6.1 Timing of Challenges. Any Party or Non-Party may challenge a designation of 

confidentiality at any time. Unless a prompt challenge to a Designating Party’s confidentiality designation is 

necessary to avoid foreseeable, substantial unfairness, unnecessary economic burdens, or a significant 

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disruption or delay of the litigation, a Party does not waive its right to challenge a confidentiality 

designation by electing not to mount a challenge promptly after the original designation is disclosed. 

6.2 Meet and Confer. The Challenging Party shall initiate the dispute resolution process by 

providing written notice of each designation it is challenging and describing the basis for each challenge. To 

avoid ambiguity as to whether a challenge has been made, the written notice must recite that the challenge to 

confidentiality is being made in accordance with this specific paragraph of the Protective Order. The parties 

shall attempt to resolve each challenge in good faith and must begin the process by conferring directly (in 

voice to voice dialogue; other forms of communication are not sufficient) within 14 days of the date of 

service of notice. In conferring, the Challenging Party must explain the basis for its belief that the 

confidentiality designation was not proper and must give the Designating Party an opportunity to review the 

designated material, to reconsider the circumstances, and, if no change in designation is offered, to explain 

the basis for the chosen designation. A Challenging Party may proceed to the next stage of the challenge 

process only if it has engaged in this meet and confer process first or establishes that the Designating Party 

is unwilling to participate in the meet and confer process in a timely manner. 

6.3 Judicial Intervention. If the Parties cannot resolve a challenge without court intervention, 

the Designating Party shall file and serve a motion to retain confidentiality under Civil Local Rule 7 (and in 

compliance with Civil Local Rule 79-5, if applicable) within 21 days of the initial notice of challenge or 

within 14 days of the parties agreeing that the meet and confer process will not resolve their dispute, 

whichever is earlier. Each such motion must be accompanied by a competent declaration affirming that the 

movant has complied with the meet and confer requirements imposed in the preceding paragraph. Failure by 

the Designating Party to make such a motion including the required declaration within 21 days (or 14 days, 

if applicable) shall automatically waive the confidentiality designation for each challenged designation. In 

addition, the Challenging Party may file a motion challenging a confidentiality designation at any time if 

there is good cause for doing so, including a challenge to the designation of a deposition transcript or any 

portions thereof. Any motion brought pursuant to this provision must be accompanied by a competent 

declaration affirming that the movant has complied with the meet and confer requirements imposed by the 

preceding paragraph. 

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The burden of persuasion in any such challenge proceeding shall be on the Designating Party. 

Frivolous challenges and those made for an improper purpose (e.g., to harass or impose unnecessary 

expenses and burdens on other parties) may expose the Challenging Party to sanctions. Unless the 

Designating Party has waived the confidentiality designation by failing to file a motion to retain 

confidentiality as described above, all parties shall continue to afford the material in question the level of 

protection to which it is entitled under the Producing Party’s designation until the court rules on the 

challenge. 

7. ACCESS TO AND USE OF PROTECTED MATERIAL 

7.1 Basic Principles. A Receiving Party may use Protected Material that is disclosed or 

produced by another Party or by a Non-Party in connection with this case only for prosecuting, defending, 

or attempting to settle this litigation. Such Protected Material may be disclosed only to the categories of 

persons and under the conditions described in this Order. When the litigation has been terminated, a 

Receiving Party must comply with the provisions of section 14 below (FINAL DISPOSITION). 

Protected Material must be stored and maintained by a Receiving Party at a location and in a secure 

manner that ensures that access is limited to the persons authorized under this Order. 

7.2 Disclosure of “CONFIDENTIAL” Information or Items. Unless otherwise ordered by the 

court or permitted in writing by the Designating Party, a Receiving Party may disclose any information or 

item designated “CONFIDENTIAL” only to: 

(a) the Receiving Party’s Outside Counsel of Record in this action, as well as employees of 

said Outside Counsel of Record to whom it is reasonably necessary to disclose the information for this 

litigation and who have signed the “Acknowledgment and Agreement to Be Bound” that is attached hereto 

as Exhibit A; 

(b) the officers, directors, and employees (including House Counsel) of the Receiving Party 

to whom disclosure is reasonably necessary for this litigation and who have signed the “Acknowledgment 

and Agreement to Be Bound” (Exhibit A); 

(c) Experts (as defined in this Order) of the Receiving Party to whom disclosure is 

reasonably necessary for this litigation and who have signed the “Acknowledgment and Agreement to Be 

Bound” (Exhibit A); 

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(d) the court and its personnel; 

(e) court reporters and their staff, professional jury or trial consultants, and Professional 

Vendors to whom disclosure is reasonably necessary for this litigation and who have signed the 

“Acknowledgment and Agreement to Be Bound” (Exhibit A); 

(f) during their depositions, witnesses in the action to whom disclosure is reasonably 

necessary and who have signed the “Acknowledgment and Agreement to Be Bound” (Exhibit A), unless 

otherwise agreed by the Designating Party or ordered by the court. Pages of transcribed deposition 

testimony or exhibits to depositions that reveal Protected Material must be separately bound by the court 

reporter and may not be disclosed to anyone except as permitted under this Stipulated Protective Order. 

(g) the author or recipient of a document containing the information or a custodian or other 

person who otherwise possessed or knew the information. 

7.3 Disclosure of “HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL – ATTORNEYS’ EYES ONLY” Information 

or Items. Unless otherwise ordered by the court or permitted in writing by the Designating Party, a 

Receiving Party may disclose any information or item designated “HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL – 

ATTORNEYS’ EYES ONLY” only to: 

(a) the Receiving Party’s Outside Counsel of Record in this action, as well as employees of 

said Outside Counsel of Record to whom it is reasonably necessary to disclose the information for this 

litigation, and contractors of said Outside Counsel of Record to whom it is reasonably necessary to disclose 

the information for this litigation and who have signed the “Acknowledgment and Agreement to Be Bound” 

that is attached hereto as Exhibit A; 

(b) Experts of the Receiving Party (1) to whom disclosure is reasonably necessary for this 

litigation, (2) who have signed the “Acknowledgment and Agreement to Be Bound” (Exhibit A), and (3) as 

to whom the procedures set forth in paragraph 7.4(a)(2), below, have been followed]; 

(c) the court and its personnel; 

(d) court reporters and their staff, professional jury or trial consultants, and Professional 

Vendors to whom disclosure is reasonably necessary for this litigation and who have signed the 

“Acknowledgment and Agreement to Be Bound” (Exhibit A); and 

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(e) the author or recipient of a document containing the information or a custodian or other 

person who otherwise possessed or knew the information. 

7.4 Procedures for Approving or Objecting to Disclosure of “HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL – 

ATTORNEYS’ EYES ONLY” Information or Items to Experts or Contractors of Outside Counsel of 

Record. 

(a)(1) Unless otherwise ordered by the court or agreed to in writing by the Designating 

Party, a Party that seeks to disclose to Designated House Counsel any information or item that has been 

designated “HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL – ATTORNEYS’ EYES ONLY” pursuant to paragraph 7.3(b) first 

must make a written request to the Designating Party that (1) sets forth the full name of the Designated 

House Counsel and the city and state of his or her residence, and (2) describes the Designated House 

Counsel’s current and reasonably foreseeable future primary job duties and responsibilities in sufficient 

detail to determine if House Counsel is involved, or may become involved, in any competitive decisionmaking. 

(a)(2) Unless otherwise ordered by the court or agreed to in writing by the Designating 

Party, a Party that seeks to disclose to an Expert (as defined in this Order) or contractors of Outside Counsel 

of Record any information or item that has been designated “HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL – ATTORNEYS’ 

EYES ONLY” pursuant to paragraph 7.3(c) first must make a written request to the Designating Party that 

(1) sets forth the full name of the Expert or contractor and the city and state of his or her primary residence, 

(2) attaches a copy of the Expert or contractor’s current resume, (3) identifies the Expert or contractor’s 

current employer(s), (4) identifies each person or entity from whom the Expert has received compensation 

or funding for work in his or her areas of expertise or to whom the expert has provided professional 

services, including in connection with a litigation, at any time during the preceding five years,1

 and (5) 

identifies (by name and number of the case, filing date, and location of court) any litigation in connection 

with which the Expert or contractor has offered expert testimony, including through a declaration, report, or 

testimony at a deposition or trial, during the preceding five years. 

 

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 If the Expert believes any of this information is subject to a confidentiality obligation to a third-party, then the Expert should 

provide whatever information the Expert believes can be disclosed without violating any confidentiality agreements, and the Party 

seeking to disclose to the Expert shall be available to meet and confer with the Designating Party regarding any such engagement. 

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(b) A Party that makes a request and provides the information specified in the preceding 

respective paragraphs may disclose the subject Protected Material to the identified Designated House 

Counsel or Expert unless, within 14 days of delivering the request, the Party receives a written objection 

from the Designating Party. Any such objection must set forth in detail the grounds on which it is based. 

(c) A Party that receives a timely written objection must meet and confer with the 

Designating Party (through direct voice to voice dialogue) to try to resolve the matter by agreement within 

seven days of the written objection. If no agreement is reached, the Party seeking to make the disclosure to 

Designated House Counsel or the Expert may file a motion as provided in Civil Local Rule 7 (and in 

compliance with Civil Local Rule 79-5, if applicable) seeking permission from the court to do so. Any such 

motion must describe the circumstances with specificity, set forth in detail the reasons why the disclosure to 

Designated House Counsel or the Expert is reasonably necessary, assess the risk of harm that the disclosure 

would entail, and suggest any additional means that could be used to reduce that risk. In addition, any such 

motion must be accompanied by a competent declaration describing the parties’ efforts to resolve the matter 

by agreement (i.e., the extent and the content of the meet and confer discussions) and setting forth the 

reasons advanced by the Designating Party for its refusal to approve the disclosure. 

In any such proceeding, the Party opposing disclosure to Designated House Counsel or the Expert 

shall bear the burden of proving that the risk of harm that the disclosure would entail (under the safeguards 

proposed) outweighs the Receiving Party’s need to disclose the Protected Material to its Designated House 

Counsel or Expert. 

8. PROSECUTION BAR 

Absent written consent from the Producing Party, any individual who receives access to “HIGHLY 

CONFIDENTIAL – ATTORNEYS’ EYES ONLY” information shall not be involved in the prosecution of 

patents or patent applications relating to electrical connectors or electrical interconnect assemblies, 

including without limitation the patents asserted in this action and any patent or application claiming priority 

to or otherwise related to the patents asserted in this action, before any foreign or domestic agency, 

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including the United States Patent and Trademark Office (“the Patent Office”).2 For purposes of this 

paragraph, “prosecution” includes directly or indirectly drafting, amending, advising, or otherwise affecting 

the scope or maintenance of patent claims.3 To avoid any doubt, “prosecution” as used in this paragraph 

does not include representing a party challenging a patent before a domestic or foreign agency (including, 

but not limited to, a reissue protest, ex parte reexamination or inter partes reexamination). This Prosecution 

Bar shall begin when access to “HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL – ATTORNEYS’ EYES ONLY” information 

is first received by the affected individual and shall end two (2) years after final termination of this action.4

9. PROTECTED MATERIAL SUBPOENAED OR ORDERED PRODUCED IN OTHER 

LITIGATION 

If a Party is served with a subpoena or a court order issued in other litigation that compels 

disclosure of any information or items designated in this action as “CONFIDENTIAL” or “HIGHLY 

CONFIDENTIAL – ATTORNEYS’ EYES ONLY” that Party must: 

(a) promptly notify in writing the Designating Party. Such notification shall include a copy 

of the subpoena or court order; 

(b) promptly notify in writing the party who caused the subpoena or order to issue in the 

other litigation that some or all of the material covered by the subpoena or order is subject to this Protective 

Order. Such notification shall include a copy of this Stipulated Protective Order; and 

(c) cooperate with respect to all reasonable procedures sought to be pursued by the 

Designating Party whose Protected Material may be affected.5

If the Designating Party timely seeks a protective order, the Party served with the subpoena 

or court order shall not produce any information designated in this action as “CONFIDENTIAL” or 

“HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL – ATTORNEYS’ EYES ONLY” before a determination by the court from 

 

2

 It may be appropriate under certain circumstances to require Outside and House Counsel who receive access to “HIGHLY 

CONFIDENTIAL – ATTORNEYS’ EYES ONLY” information to implement an “Ethical Wall.” 

3

 Prosecution includes, for example, original prosecution, reissue and reexamination proceedings. 

4 Alternative: It may be appropriate for the Prosecution Bar to apply only to individuals who receive access to another party’s 

“HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL – ATTORNEYS’ EYES ONLY” technical or source code information pursuant to this Order, such as 

under circumstances where one or more parties is not expected to produce “HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL – ATTORNEYS’ EYES 

ONLY” information that is technical in nature or “HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL – SOURCE CODE” information. 

5

 The purpose of imposing these duties is to alert the interested parties to the existence of this Protective Order and to afford the 

Designating Party in this case an opportunity to try to protect its confidentiality interests in the court from which the subpoena or 

order issued. 

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which the subpoena or order issued, unless the Party has obtained the Designating Party’s permission. The 

Designating Party shall bear the burden and expense of seeking protection in that court of its confidential 

material – and nothing in these provisions should be construed as authorizing or encouraging a Receiving 

Party in this action to disobey a lawful directive from another court. 

10. A NON-PARTY’S PROTECTED MATERIAL SOUGHT TO BE PRODUCED IN THIS 

LITIGATION 

(a) The terms of this Order are applicable to information produced by a Non-Party in 

this action and designated as “CONFIDENTIAL” or “HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL – ATTORNEYS’ EYES 

ONLY.” Such information produced by Non-Parties in connection with this litigation is protected by the 

remedies and relief provided by this Order. Nothing in these provisions should be construed as prohibiting a 

Non-Party from seeking additional protections. 

(b) In the event that a Party is required, by a valid discovery request, to produce a NonParty’s confidential information in its possession, and the Party is subject to an agreement with the NonParty not to produce the Non-Party’s confidential information, then the Party shall: 

1. promptly notify in writing the Requesting Party and the Non-Party that some or all 

of the information requested is subject to a confidentiality agreement with a Non-Party; 

2. promptly provide the Non-Party with a copy of the Stipulated Protective Order in 

this litigation, the relevant discovery request(s), and a reasonably specific description of the information 

requested; and 

3. make the information requested available for inspection by the Non-Party. 

(c) If the Non-Party fails to object or seek a protective order from this court within 14 

days of receiving the notice and accompanying information, the Receiving Party may produce the NonParty’s confidential information responsive to the discovery request. If the Non-Party timely seeks a 

protective order, the Receiving Party shall not produce any information in its possession or control that is 

subject to the confidentiality agreement with the Non-Party before a determination by the court.6

 Absent a 

court order to the contrary, the Non-Party shall bear the burden and expense of seeking protection in this 

 

6

 The purpose of this provision is to alert the interested parties to the existence of confidentiality rights of a Non-Party and to afford 

the Non-Party an opportunity to protect its confidentiality interests in this court. 

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court of its Protected Material. 

11. UNAUTHORIZED DISCLOSURE OF PROTECTED MATERIAL 

 If a Receiving Party learns that, by inadvertence or otherwise, it has disclosed Protected 

Material to any person or in any circumstance not authorized under this Stipulated Protective Order, the 

Receiving Party must immediately (a) notify in writing the Designating Party of the unauthorized 

disclosures, (b) use its best efforts to retrieve all unauthorized copies of the Protected Material, (c) inform 

the person or persons to whom unauthorized disclosures were made of all the terms of this Order, and (d) 

request such person or persons to execute the “Acknowledgment and Agreement to Be Bound” that is 

attached hereto as Exhibit A. 

12. INADVERTENT PRODUCTION OF PRIVILEGED OR OTHERWISE PROTECTED 

MATERIAL 

When a Producing Party gives notice to Receiving Parties that certain inadvertently 

produced material is subject to a claim of privilege or other protection, the obligations of the Receiving 

Parties are those set forth in Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 26(b)(5)(B). This provision is not intended to 

modify whatever procedure may be established in an e-discovery order that provides for production without 

prior privilege review. Pursuant to Federal Rule of Evidence 502(d) and (e), insofar as the parties reach an 

agreement on the effect of disclosure of a communication or information covered by the attorney-client 

privilege or work product protection, the parties may incorporate their agreement in the stipulated protective 

order submitted to the court. 

13. MISCELLANEOUS 

13.1 Right to Further Relief. Nothing in this Order abridges the right of any person to seek its 

modification by the court in the future. 

13.2 Right to Assert Other Objections. By stipulating to the entry of this Protective Order no 

Party waives any right it otherwise would have to object to disclosing or producing any information or item 

on any ground not addressed in this Stipulated Protective Order. Similarly, no Party waives any right to 

object on any ground to use in evidence of any of the material covered by this Protective Order. 

13.3 Filing Protected Material. Without written permission from the Designating Party or a court 

order secured after appropriate notice to all interested persons, a Party may not file in the public record in 

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this action any Protected Material. A Party that seeks to file under seal any Protected Material must comply 

with Civil Local Rule 79-5. Protected Material may only be filed under seal pursuant to a court order 

authorizing the sealing of the specific Protected Material at issue. Pursuant to Civil Local Rule 79-5, a 

sealing order will issue only upon a request establishing that the Protected Material at issue is privileged, 

protectable as a trade secret, or otherwise entitled to protection under the law. If a Receiving Party's request 

to file Protected Material under seal pursuant to Civil Local Rule 79-5(e) is denied by the court, then the 

Receiving Party may file the Protected Material in the public record pursuant to Civil Local Rule 79-5(e)(2) 

unless otherwise instructed by the court. 

14. FINAL DISPOSITION 

 Within 60 days after the final disposition of this action, as defined in paragraph 4, each 

Receiving Party must return all Protected Material to the Producing Party or destroy such material. As used 

in this subdivision, “all Protected Material” includes all copies, abstracts, compilations, summaries, and any 

other format reproducing or capturing any of the Protected Material. Whether the Protected Material is 

returned or destroyed, the Receiving Party must submit a written certification to the Producing Party (and, if 

not the same person or entity, to the Designating Party) by the 60-day deadline that (1) identifies (by 

category, where appropriate) all the Protected Material that was returned or destroyed and (2) affirms that 

the Receiving Party has not retained any copies, abstracts, compilations, summaries or any other format 

reproducing or capturing any of the Protected Material. Notwithstanding this provision, Counsel are entitled 

to retain an archival copy of all pleadings, motion papers, trial, deposition, and hearing transcripts, legal 

memoranda, correspondence, deposition and trial exhibits, expert reports, attorney work product, and 

consultant and expert work product, even if such materials contain Protected Material. Any such archival 

copies that contain or constitute Protected Material remain subject to this Protective Order as set forth in 

Section 4 (DURATION). 

IT IS SO STIPULATED, THROUGH COUNSEL OF RECORD. 

DATED: December 27, 2013 /s/ Ajay S. Krishnan 

Stuart L. Gasner 

Ajay S. Krishnan 

KEKER & VAN NEST LLP 

Attorneys for Plaintiff/Counter-Defendant 

NEOCONIX, INC. 

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DATED: December 27, 2013 /s/ Erich Falke 

Erich Falke 

Charlie C. Lyu 

WOODCOCK WASHBURN LLP 

Attorneys for Defendant R&D CIRCUITS, INC., 

and for Defendant/Counterclaim-Plaintiff 

R&D SOCKETS, INC. 

PURSUANT TO STIPULATION, IT IS SO ORDERED. 

DATED: ________________________ _____________________________________ 

Hon. Maxine M. Chesney 

United States District Judge 

January 2, 2014

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EXHIBIT A 

ACKNOWLEDGMENT AND AGREEMENT TO BE BOUND 

I, _____________________________ [print or type full name], of _________________ 

[print or type full address], declare under penalty of perjury that I have read in its entirety and understand 

the Stipulated Protective Order that was issued by the United States District Court for the Northern District 

of California on [date] in the case of Neoconix, Inc. v. R&D Circuits, Inc. and R&D Sockets, Inc., Case 

No. 12-cv-06153 MMC . I agree to comply with and to be bound by all the terms of this Stipulated 

Protective Order and I understand and acknowledge that failure to so comply could expose me to sanctions 

and punishment in the nature of contempt. I solemnly promise that I will not disclose in any manner any 

information or item that is subject to this Stipulated Protective Order to any person or entity except in strict 

compliance with the provisions of this Order. 

I further agree to submit to the jurisdiction of the United States District Court for the 

Northern District of California for the purpose of enforcing the terms of this Stipulated Protective Order, 

even if such enforcement proceedings occur after termination of this action. 

I hereby appoint __________________________ [print or type full name] of 

_______________________________________ [print or type full address and telephone number] as my 

California agent for service of process in connection with this action or any proceedings related to 

enforcement of this Stipulated Protective Order. 

Date: _________________________________ 

City and State where sworn and signed: _________________________________ 

Printed name: ______________________________ 

[printed name] 

Signature: __________________________________ 

[signature] 

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