Opinion ID: 781750
Heading Depth: 5
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: NTW's contract with Bluewater

Text: 29 Appellants' assertions as to NTW's contract with Bluewater, a Tennessee corporation, require a brief departure from the Court's purposeful availment analysis. Bridgeport asserts that NTW's contract with Tennessee-based Bluewater is sufficient for a finding of personal jurisdiction because the contract is with a Tennessee entity and contains choice of law and venue provisions relating to Tennessee. NTW does not dispute that it contracted with Bluewater to collect foreign royalties related to NTW's compositions or that the contract contained a choice of law and venue provisions designating Tennessee law and venue. Appellees do, however, complain that Bridgeport did not assert this matter before the district court and thus that it is not appropriate for consideration on appeal. 30 As to the Bluewater contract, the district court did not make a finding as to purposeful availment and instead, in a footnote, indicated that the contract could not serve as a basis for jurisdiction because Bridgeport did not assert that the contract is related to the infringement action against NTW. Bridgeport for the first time on appeal now makes such arguments, arguments which we decline to address. See Preferred RX v. Am. Prescription Plan, 46 F.3d 535, 549 (6th Cir.1995) (subject to limited exceptions, this court will not consider issues not presented to the district court but raised for the first time on appeal); Overstreet v. Lexington-Fayette Urban County Gov't, 305 F.3d 566, 578 (6th Cir.2002); Bailey v. Floyd County Bd. of Educ., 106 F.3d 135, 143 (6th Cir.1997) (explaining that the court will not consider arguments raised for the first time on appeal unless our failure to consider the issue will result in a plain miscarriage of justice). We find no basis to depart from this principle in the instant action. 31