Opinion ID: 449705
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Trial Court's Grant of Summary Judgment on D.'309

Text: 7 After extensive discovery had been completed, Clear View filed several motions for summary judgment, only one of which was granted and is on appeal to this court. In that motion, Clear View alleged that Kwik-Site's Kwik-Mount/22 infringed Clear View's design patent D.'309. Although Kwik-Site filed memoranda in opposition to Clear View's other motions for summary judgment, Kwik-Site did not respond at all to Clear View's motion for summary judgment on the issue of Kwik-Site's infringement of D.'309. 1 8 At the hearing on Clear View's motion for summary judgment, Kwik-Site argued that a mount manufactured for over eighteen years by Selco Manufacturing Company, a North Carolina firm, was substantially identical to that covered by D.'309 and therefore was prior art. Kwik-Site's counsel presented a brochure from Selco and contended that it described such a mount. Kwik-Site also introduced into evidence its Kwik-Mount/22 accused of infringing the D.'309 and offered to have Kwik-Site personnel testify that the Kwik-Mount/22 was not similar to the D.'309. Kwik-Site did not, however, offer any affidavits in support of its contentions but, during the hearing, did ask the trial judge for a delay in order to obtain an affidavit from the North Carolina manufacturer regarding how long he had been manufacturing the allegedly identical sight. The trial court denied Kwik-Site's request for delay on the ground that the products shown in the brochure were in no way similar to the D.'309, and therefore it was irrelevant when those products were manufactured. Then, based on its visual comparison of Kwik-Site's Kwik-Mount/22 with Clear View's D.'309 mount, the court found that to the ordinary observer the two mounts were so similar as to constitute infringement of the D.'309. There being no genuine issue of material fact, the court granted Clear View's motion for summary judgment on the issue of Kwik-Site's infringement of D.'309 and later awarded damages. 9 Although Kwik-Site attempted to oppose Clear View's motion for summary judgment on two grounds, i.e., that there was pre-existing art, and that its product did not infringe D.'309, on appeal Kwik-Site contends only that the district court abused its discretion in not allowing Kwik-Site to offer, by affidavit or in other proper manner, proof of the Selco mount and that the Selco mount was prior art. 10 We conclude, however, that there was no abuse of discretion because the proof showed without dispute that Kwik-Site had knowledge of the Selco mount at least a week before the hearing on the summary judgment motion and had neither obtained proof nor requested a continuance, prior to the hearing, in order to obtain proof. 11 We therefore affirm the grant of summary judgment for infringement of the D.' 309 patent and the award of damages.