throbber
Case 1:17-cv-00585-JFB-SRF Document 38 Filed 10/23/17 Page 1 of 15 PageID #: 877
`
`
`IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
`FOR THE DISTRICT OF DELAWARE
`
`
`UNIVERSAL SECURE REGISTRY LLC,
`
`
`Plaintiff,
`
`)
`)
`)
`) C.A. No. 17-585-JFB-SRF
`)
`)
`)
`)
`)
`)
`
`
`APPLE INC., VISA INC., and VISA U.S.A., INC.,
`
`
`Defendants.
`
`v.
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`REPLY BRIEF OF DEFENDANTS APPLE INC., VISA INC., AND
`VISA U.S.A., INC. IN SUPPORT OF MOTION TO TRANSFER VENUE
`
`
`Frederick L. Cottrell, III (#2555)
`Jason J. Rawnsley (#5379)
`RICHARDS, LAYTON & FINGER, P.A.
`920 North King Street
`Wilmington, DE 19801
`(302) 651-7700
`cottrell@rlf.com
`rawnsley@rlf.com
`
`Attorneys for Defendant Apple Inc.
`
`
`Dated: October 23, 2017
`
`
`David E. Moore (#3983)
`Bindu Palapura (#5370)
`POTTER ANDERSON CORROON LLP
`1313 North Market Street 6th Floor
`Wilmington, DE 19801
`(302) 984-6147
`dmoore@potteranderson.com
`bpalapura@potteranderson.com
`
`Attorneys for Defendants Visa Inc. and
`Visa U.S.A., Inc.
`
`
`
`
`RLF1 18316866v.1
`
`

`

`Case 1:17-cv-00585-JFB-SRF Document 38 Filed 10/23/17 Page 2 of 15 PageID #: 878
`
`
`TABLE OF CONTENTS
`
`TABLE OF AUTHORITIES .......................................................................................................... ii
`Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 1 
`I. 
`II.  Argument ................................................................................................................................ 1 
`A.  The Private Interest Factors Weigh in Favor of Transfer. .................................................. 2 
`B.  The Relevant Public Interest Factors Also Weigh in Favor of Transfer. ............................ 9 
`III. 
`Conclusion ........................................................................................................................ 10 
`
`
`
`
`
`
`RLF1 18316866v.1
`
`i
`
`

`

`Case 1:17-cv-00585-JFB-SRF Document 38 Filed 10/23/17 Page 3 of 15 PageID #: 879
`
`
`TABLE OF AUTHORITIES
`
`CASES
`
`Page(s)
`
`Am. Axle & Mfg., Inc. v. Neapco Holdings LLC,
`No. 15-1168-LPS-CJB, 2016 WL 8677211 (D. Del. Sept. 23, 2016) .........................4, 5, 8
`
`Blackbird Tech LLC v. Cloudflare, Inc.,
`No. 17-283, 2017 WL 4543783 (D. Del. Oct. 11, 2017) ...........................................5, 7, 10
`
`ChriMar Sys., Inc. v. Cisco Sys., Inc.,
`No. 11-1050-GMS, 2013 WL 828220 (D. Del. Mar. 6, 2013) ............................................6
`
`Contour IP Holding, LLC v. GoPro, Inc.,
`No. 15-1108-LPS-CJB, 2017 WL 3189005 (D. Del. July 6, 2017), order
`adopted by Contour IP Holding, LLC v. GoPro, Inc., No. 15-1108-LPS-
`CJB, 2017 WL 3225983 (D. Del. July 31, 2017) ......................................................3, 4, 10
`
`Cruise Control Techs. LLC v. Chrysler Grp. LLC,
`No. 12-1755-GMS, 2014 WL 1304820 (D. Del. Mar. 31, 2014) ........................................6
`
`In re Genentech, Inc.,
`566 F.3d 1338 (Fed. Cir. 2009)............................................................................................7
`
`In re Hoffmann-La Roche Inc.,
`587 F.3d 1333 (Fed. Cir. 2009)............................................................................................4
`
`In re Link_A_Media Devices Corp.,
`662 F.3d 1221 (Fed. Cir. 2011)........................................................................................7, 9
`
`Ithaca Ventures k.s. v. Nintendo of Am. Inc.,
`No. 13-824-GMS, 2014 WL 4829027 (D. Del. Sept. 25, 2014) ......................................5, 8
`
`Linex Techs., Inc. v. Hewlett-Packard Co.,
`No. 11-400-GMS, 2013 WL 105323 (D. Del. Jan. 7, 2013) ...............................................9
`
`Mekiki Co. v. Facebook, Inc.,
`No. 09-745-JAP, 2010 WL 2348740 (D. Del. June 7, 2010) ..............................................7
`
`Memory Integrity, LLC v. Intel Corp.,
`No. 13-1804-GMS, 2015 WL 632026 (D. Del. Feb. 13, 2015) .......................................4, 7
`
`Mitel Networks Corp. v. Facebook, Inc.,
`943 F. Supp. 2d 463 (D. Del. 2013) .....................................................................................9
`
`MoneyCat Ltd. v. PayPal Inc.,
`No. 13-1358-MSG, 2014 WL 2042699 (D. Del. May 15, 2014) ........................................2
`
`RLF1 18316866v.1
`
`ii
`
`

`

`Case 1:17-cv-00585-JFB-SRF Document 38 Filed 10/23/17 Page 4 of 15 PageID #: 880
`
`
`OpenTV, Inc. v. Netflix, Inc.,
`No. 12-1733-GMS, 2014 WL 1292790 (D. Del. Mar. 31, 2014) ..............................2, 3, 10
`
`Rothschild Mobile Imaging Innovations, LLC v. Mitek Systems, Inc.,
`No. 14-1142-GMS, 2015 WL 4624164 (D. Del. July 31, 2015) .........................................4
`
`Symantec Corp. v. Zscaler, Inc.,
`No. 17-806, 2017 WL 3262246 (D. Del. July 31, 2017) ...............................................2, 10
`
`Williamson v. Google Inc.,
`No. 14-216-GMS, 2015 WL 13311284 (D. Del. Mar. 2, 2015) ..........................................8
`
`
`
`
`
`
`RLF1 18316866v.1
`
`iii
`
`

`

`Case 1:17-cv-00585-JFB-SRF Document 38 Filed 10/23/17 Page 5 of 15 PageID #: 881
`
`
`Defendants Apple Inc. (“Apple”), Visa Inc., and Visa U.S.A., Inc. (“Visa”) (collectively,
`
`“Defendants”) respectfully submit this reply brief in further support of their Motion to Transfer
`
`to the Northern District of California.
`
`I.
`
`Introduction
`
`Defendants’ opening brief demonstrated that the Northern District of California is the
`
`locus of this case and a far more convenient forum. Nothing in Universal Secure Registry’s
`
`(“USR’s”) Opposition (“Opp.”) calls that conclusion into question. Indeed, USR fails to dispute
`
`that there is no meaningful connection between this case and Delaware, including that: (1) USR
`
`does not have any presence or employees in Delaware; (2) there is not a single party or non-
`
`party witness who resides in Delaware; (3) none of the accused products was designed or
`
`manufactured in Delaware; and (4) none of the technical documents for the accused products is
`
`maintained in Delaware.
`
`USR also fails to create a real dispute over the Northern District of California’s
`
`substantial connection to this case. The undisputed facts show that: (1) Apple and Visa are
`
`headquartered in and have their principal place of business in the Northern District of California;
`
`(2) Apple is incorporated in California; (3) the Apple and Visa employees who are
`
`knowledgeable about the design and development, functionality, and marketing of the accused
`
`products and the Apple and Visa relationship are located primarily in the Northern District of
`
`California; and (4) prior art witnesses are located in the Northern District of California.
`
`Other than USR’s choice of forum, which USR concedes is “not determinative” (Opp. at
`
`5), all factors support transfer. Accordingly, Defendants respectfully request that their motion be
`
`granted and this case transferred to the Northern District of California.
`
`II.
`
`Argument
`
`USR’s brief confirms that the transfer would best serve the convenience of the parties and
`
`RLF1 18316866v.1
`RLF1 18316866v.1
`
`

`

`Case 1:17-cv-00585-JFB-SRF Document 38 Filed 10/23/17 Page 6 of 15 PageID #: 882
`
`
`witnesses as well as the interest of justice.
`
`A.
`
`The Private Interest Factors Weigh in Favor of Transfer.
`
`The Parties’ Choice of Forum. USR concedes that its “home turf” is Massachusetts, not
`
`Delaware. (Opp. at 4.) USR also appears to concede (or at least does not dispute) that it has no
`
`ties to Delaware. USR’s “preference for Delaware” therefore “weighs minimally against
`
`transferring venue.” See Symantec Corp. v. Zscaler, Inc., No. 17-806, 2017 WL 3262246, at *2
`
`(D. Del. July 31, 2017) (both parties “are Delaware corporations and [plaintiff] does not have
`
`facilities, employees, or operations here”).
`
`USR argues that Delaware is “within a few hours’ train or car ride from its place of
`
`business and from many witnesses” (Opp. at 5), but Delaware is approximately five to six hours
`
`by car or the Acela train. Second Declaration of Mark D. Selwyn (“Selwyn Reply Decl.”) ¶¶ 3-
`
`4, Exs. 2-3. The time difference between this and a non-stop plane flight from Boston to San
`
`Francisco is marginal. Id.; see also MoneyCat Ltd. v. PayPal Inc., No. 13-1358-MSG, 2014 WL
`
`2042699, at *4 (D. Del. May 15, 2014) (transferring case to Northern District of California
`
`despite fact that Delaware was five hours closer to Israel, i.e., California was 50 percent farther,
`
`because “marginal additional inconvenience” to plaintiff “is outweighed by transferring this case
`
`to the place where the bulk of the evidence exists”).
`
`USR’s attempts to distinguish OpenTV v. Netflix, Inc. fail. Even though OpenTV was
`
`incorporated in Delaware—which USR is not—the court did not “accord substantial weight to
`
`OpenTV’s choice of Delaware” because it “chose to litigate in a state in which OpenTV is not
`
`physically located.” OpenTV, Inc. v. Netflix, Inc., No. 12-1733-GMS, 2014 WL 1292790, at *1-
`
`2 (D. Del. Mar. 31, 2014). The court did not address whether OpenTV had a legitimate reason
`
`for its choice of forum. Instead, the court merely observed that the defendant’s preferred forum
`
`was a “legitimate choice” because both parties had principal places of business in the Northern
`
`RLF1 18316866v.1
`
`2
`
`

`

`Case 1:17-cv-00585-JFB-SRF Document 38 Filed 10/23/17 Page 7 of 15 PageID #: 883
`
`
`District of California. Id.
`
`USR appears to concede that Defendants have “rational, legitimate reasons to support”
`
`their forum preference because it does not address them. See Contour IP Holding, LLC v.
`
`GoPro, Inc., No. 15-1108-LPS-CJB, 2017 WL 3189005, at *9 (D. Del. July 6, 2017) (proximity
`
`of “transferee district to a defendant’s principal place of business” and to potential “witnesses
`
`and evidence” is “a clear, legitimate basis for seeking transfer”), order adopted by Contour IP
`
`Holding, LLC v. GoPro, Inc., No. 15-1108-LPS-CJB, 2017 WL 3225983 (D. Del. July 31, 2017).
`
`The Location Where the Claims Arose Favors Transfer. USR’s attempt to argue that
`
`the Apple and Visa Accused Products were not developed in Northern California should be
`
`rejected. Apple and Visa have submitted declarations that identify specific individuals with
`
`knowledge of the design and development and where it occurred. See Declaration of Michael
`
`Jaynes ISO Motion to Transfer (“Jaynes Decl.”) ¶¶ 7-9; Declaration of Andrew Carpenter ISO
`
`Motion to Transfer (“Carpenter Decl.”) ¶¶ 6-8. By contrast, USR’s sole support for its argument
`
`is an out-of-context quotation of a news article discussing companies that are not defendants in
`
`this litigation. (Opp. at 7.) USR does not even attempt to argue that these companies will be
`
`relevant to the case or that their employees will testify at trial. These companies were not
`
`involved in Apple’s development of Apple Pay. Declaration of Chris Sharp ¶ 4. To the extent
`
`these companies’ involvement with Apple’s testing of Apple Pay is relevant, their involvement
`
`occurred in the Northern District of California. Id. ¶ 5.1
`
`It is therefore unrebutted that USR’s infringement allegations will likely be resolved
`
`based on the testimony of California witnesses regarding functionality designed, developed, and
`
`
`1 This is consistent with a news article linked to by the article USR cited, which states
`“JPMorgan, the largest card issuer in the country, set up a war room in a windowless conference
`room in San Francisco, where the most sensitive work was done.” Selwyn Reply Decl., ¶ 2, Ex.
`1 (emphasis added).
`
`RLF1 18316866v.1
`
`3
`
`

`

`Case 1:17-cv-00585-JFB-SRF Document 38 Filed 10/23/17 Page 8 of 15 PageID #: 884
`
`
`marketed in the Northern District of California and using evidence located in the Northern
`
`District of California. See Jaynes Decl. ¶¶ 7-9; Carpenter Decl. ¶¶ 6-8.
`
`Rothschild Mobile Imaging Innovations, LLC v. Mitek Systems, Inc., cited by USR as
`
`support for the position that this factor is neutral because of “the competing allegations regarding
`
`where the accused products were developed” (Opp. at 7), is distinguishable. There, plaintiff
`
`alleged that the claims asserted against Mitek arose at least “in part, from its sales of the accused
`
`products to the Bank defendants who are located in and have heavy ties to the district of
`
`Delaware”—not unrelated companies that are unassociated with the litigation. See No. 14-1142-
`
`GMS, 2015 WL 4624164, at *5 (D. Del. July 31, 2015). Moreover, USR does not argue that the
`
`companies it identifies have “heavy ties” to Delaware; instead, it argues that four of the five
`
`companies are headquartered in North Carolina, New York, and Virginia and that the fifth is
`
`headquartered in the Northern District of California. (Opp. at 7.)
`
`Therefore, “this factor favors transfer.” Contour IP Holding, 2017 WL 3189005, at *10;
`
`see also In re Hoffmann-La Roche Inc., 587 F.3d 1333, 1338 (Fed. Cir. 2009) (“[I]f there are
`
`significant connections between a particular venue and the events that gave rise to a suit, this
`
`factor should be weighed in that venue’s favor.”). Even if this Court were to credit USR’s
`
`allegations, this factor still “weighs in favor of transfer” because “it is clear that no amount of
`
`product development or manufacture took place in Delaware.” Memory Integrity, LLC v. Intel
`
`Corp., No. 13-1804-GMS, 2015 WL 632026, at *4 (D. Del. Feb. 13, 2015) (factor “weighs in
`
`favor of transfer” despite “dispute among the parties as to where the development of the products
`
`is centered” where neither party argued the development was in Delaware).
`
`The Convenience of the Parties Favors Transfer. USR improperly quotes American
`
`Axle & Manufacturing, Inc. v. Neapco Holdings LLC’s discussion of the convenience of the
`
`RLF1 18316866v.1
`
`4
`
`

`

`Case 1:17-cv-00585-JFB-SRF Document 38 Filed 10/23/17 Page 9 of 15 PageID #: 885
`
`
`witnesses’ factor when discussing whether party witnesses are relevant to the convenience of the
`
`parties’ analysis. (Opp. at 12.) Contrary to USR’s argument, American Axle confirms that party
`
`employees are relevant to the convenience of the parties’ analysis. See No. 15-1168-LPS-CJB,
`
`2016 WL 8677211, at *6-7 (D. Del. Sept. 23, 2016) (convenience of the parties “slightly favors
`
`transfer” and considering “associated logistical and operational costs to the parties’ employees in
`
`traveling to Delaware (as opposed to the proposed transferee district) for litigation purposes”).
`
`USR does not dispute that the Northern District of California would be significantly more
`
`convenient for Apple’s and Visa’s employee-witnesses. See Jaynes Decl. ¶¶ 6-9 (identifying
`
`relevant Apple witnesses and locations); Carpenter Decl. ¶¶ 6-7 (identifying relevant Visa
`
`witnesses and locations); Declaration of Mark D. Selwyn (D.I. 24), ¶¶ 9-11, Ex. H.
`
`USR’s allegations of “operational costs” to it of litigating in the Northern District of
`
`California should be accorded minimal, if any, weight. First, USR concedes that it will need to
`
`travel regardless of the forum. (Opp. at 9-10.) See Blackbird Tech LLC v. Cloudflare, Inc., No.
`
`17-283, 2017 WL 4543783, at *8 (D. Del. Oct. 11, 2017) (“factor supports transfer” where
`
`plaintiff “maintains all of its offices and employees in Massachusetts” because “whether the case
`
`proceeds in Delaware or California, Plaintiff’s employees will still have to travel and incur
`
`associated travel costs”); Ithaca Ventures k.s. v. Nintendo of Am. Inc., No. 13-824-GMS, 2014
`
`WL 4829027, at *4 (D. Del. Sept. 25, 2014) (“The court does not suggest that an additional few
`
`hours on a plane is irrelevant, but . . . [plaintiff’s] witnesses will be inconvenienced regardless of
`
`the forum. . . . It is unreasonable to subject all parties to an inconvenient forum when a forum
`
`exists that would significantly reduce the burden of at least one of the parties.”). As discussed
`
`above, the absolute travel time between Boston and Delaware by car/train (the methods of travel
`
`identified by USR) and between Boston and the Northern District of California are similar.
`
`RLF1 18316866v.1
`
`5
`
`

`

`Case 1:17-cv-00585-JFB-SRF Document 38 Filed 10/23/17 Page 10 of 15 PageID #: 886
`
`
`Second, other than the named inventor Ken Weiss, USR has also not explained how its “2
`
`employees” or USR ID’s “4 full-time employees and 2 part-time employees” have any relevance
`
`to this litigation. Unlike Defendants, which submitted declarations justifying the relevance of
`
`their potential witnesses, USR does not provide these employees’ names, their positions, or any
`
`description of their job roles. (See Opp. at 9; Weiss Decl. ¶ 9.) These employees should
`
`therefore not affect the transfer analysis. Third, USR ignores the additional cost to it of having
`
`its West Coast counsel travel to Delaware.2
`
`That Apple and Visa are large companies does not compel a different conclusion—this
`
`factor still favors transfer.3 “The fact that the Defendants possess vast resources, however, does
`
`not mean that the court should follow an approach that would unnecessarily waste these
`
`resources.” See Cruise Control Techs. LLC v. Chrysler Grp. LLC, No. 12-1755-GMS, 2014 WL
`
`1304820, at *3-4 (D. Del. Mar. 31, 2014) (factor favors transfer where plaintiff “alleges that
`
`‘some of [its] witnesses and counsel are on the east coast or in Delaware,’” but provides no facts
`
`regarding witnesses “that would permit the court to evaluate their relevance and importance” and
`
`“locations of the Defendants and their employees” suggests transferring case would “cabin
`
`costs”). “While the court does consider ‘the relative ability of each party to bear [the costs of
`
`litigation-related travel] in light of its size and financial wherewithal’ and, as a result, appreciates
`
`[plaintiff’s] point regarding the national presence of the moving defendants, it must also account
`
`for the absolute costs likely to flow from its transfer decision.” ChriMar Sys., Inc. v. Cisco Sys.,
`
`Inc., No. 11-1050-GMS, 2013 WL 828220, at *5 (D. Del. Mar. 6, 2013) (plaintiff “has only three
`
`
`2 USR’s lead counsel is Quinn Emanuel and the attorneys who have entered their appearance
`work out of Quinn Emanuel’s Los Angeles and San Francisco offices. See D.I. 5.
`3 In a carefully worded phrase, USR represents that the company is being funded out of Weiss’s
`savings to try to contrast its resources with those of Defendants. But it does not state how this
`litigation is being funded. (See Opp. at 9; Weiss Decl. ¶ 11.)
`
`RLF1 18316866v.1
`
`6
`
`

`

`Case 1:17-cv-00585-JFB-SRF Document 38 Filed 10/23/17 Page 11 of 15 PageID #: 887
`
`
`employees,” all in Michigan, and would be “forced to bear travel costs no matter the court’s
`
`decision, but proceeding in California will likely spare the defendants significant expense”); see
`
`also Cloudflare, 2017 WL 4543783, at *7-8 (despite plaintiff’s argument that it “is a much
`
`smaller organization with only six full-time employees, making it significantly more burdensome
`
`for [Plaintiff] to litigate in the Northern District of California than for Defendant to litigate in
`
`Delaware,” and fact that “both Defendants are incorporated in Delaware and would likely not
`
`suffer great financial hardship by litigating there,” factor “weighs slightly in favor of transfer”).
`
`Nor does Visa’s incorporation in Delaware compel a different conclusion. See Mekiki
`
`Co. v. Facebook, Inc., No. 09-745-JAP, 2010 WL 2348740, at *4 (D. Del. June 7, 2010)
`
`(“[Plaintiff] has not identified any witnesses, records or evidence in Delaware. As such, the lack
`
`of connection to Delaware deems the state of incorporation of the Defendant of less
`
`significance.”); In re Link_A_Media Devices Corp., 662 F.3d 1221, 1223-24 (Fed. Cir. 2011)
`
`(“The court’s heavy reliance on the fact that [defendant] was incorporated in Delaware was
`
`similarly inappropriate. Neither § 1404 nor Jumara list a party’s state of incorporation as a factor
`
`for a venue inquiry.”) (internal citations omitted).
`
`That Apple has previously litigated as a plaintiff in this forum is irrelevant. See In re
`
`Genentech, Inc., 566 F.3d 1338, 1346 (Fed. Cir. 2009) (finding “clear error” in district court’s
`
`determination that defendant’s prior unrelated lawsuits in the district weighed against transfer
`
`because “[t]he Supreme Court has long held that § 1404(a) requires ‘individualized, case-by-case
`
`consideration of convenience and fairness’”); Memory Integrity, 2015 WL 632026, at *3 (“the
`
`fact that Intel initiated unrelated cases in the District of Delaware is irrelevant to the transfer
`
`analysis in this case”). USR selectively quotes a prior Apple brief to suggest that Apple has
`
`previously argued otherwise. However, as the full quote that USR excerpts makes clear, Apple
`
`RLF1 18316866v.1
`
`7
`
`

`

`Case 1:17-cv-00585-JFB-SRF Document 38 Filed 10/23/17 Page 12 of 15 PageID #: 888
`
`
`was stating that HTC cannot try to transfer Apple’s case against it while simultaneously suing
`
`Apple in Delaware.4 This is a very different factual scenario.
`
`The Convenience of the Witnesses Favors Transfer. First, while USR discusses several
`
`third parties, it does not identify any in Delaware and articulates a potential relevance only for
`
`Mr. Brainard, an “independent technology consultant to USR and USR ID Inc.” who previously
`
`worked at RSA Security and Security Dynamics, presumably with Mr. Weiss. (Opp. at 14;
`
`Brainard Decl. ¶ 2.) Given this relationship, there is reason to believe he “would cooperate by
`
`providing live testimony at trial” in California. Am. Axle, 2016 WL 8677211, at *9.
`
`Second, the prior art inventors whom Apple identified are relevant. For example, the US
`
`2004/0236632 is highly relevant prior art for the ’826 and ’137 patents.5 Selwyn Reply Decl. ¶
`
`5. Third, the prior art witnesses are subject to the Northern District of California’s subpoena
`
`power and “there is reason to believe that those witnesses will refuse to testify absent subpoena
`
`power” as they have no relationship to any of the parties. See Ithaca Ventures, 2014 WL
`
`4829027, at *5 (no need to prove “actually [] unavailable”; allegation third party was a former
`
`employee “provid[ed] some reason to believe that she will refuse to testify”); Williamson v.
`
`Google Inc., No. 14-216-GMS, 2015 WL 13311284, at *2 (D. Del. Mar. 2, 2015)
`
`(“[Defendant’s] identified witnesses have no relationship with [Defendant], thus providing ‘some
`
`reason to believe’ that they would refuse to testify. This factor favors transfer.”).
`
`Finally, USR argues that “courts consider this factor only to the extent that the witnesses
`
`
`4 The full quotation that USR excerpts reads: “And importantly, HTC has affirmatively chosen
`Delaware as the venue for its own patent infringement claims against Apple in the 167 Case.
`Though it could have brought its claims for patent infringement against Apple in the Northern
`District of California, HTC chose to bring them here. HTC cannot have it both ways – i.e., try to
`transfer Apple’s claims against it to the Northern District of California, while simultaneously
`bringing its own claims against Apple in the District of Delaware.” Tigan Decl. Ex. D at 12
`(portions quoted by USR underlined).
`5 Michael Maritzen and Harold Aaron Ludtke are both inventors of US 2004/0236632.
`
`RLF1 18316866v.1
`
`8
`
`

`

`Case 1:17-cv-00585-JFB-SRF Document 38 Filed 10/23/17 Page 13 of 15 PageID #: 889
`
`
`may actually be unavailable for trial in one of the fora.” (Opp. at 13 (quotations omitted).) Yet,
`
`the witnesses whom USR itself identifies do not meet this standard. No declaration USR
`
`submitted states that the witness is unwilling to travel to the Northern District of California. See
`
`Anastasi Decl. ¶ 6 (Delaware is more convenient); Brainard Decl. ¶ 5 (same); Grady Decl. ¶ 6
`
`(same). Accordingly, to the extent that the Court adopts USR’s standard, none of its witnesses
`
`should be considered and this factor is neutral.
`
`The Location of the Relevant Evidence Favors Transfer. USR does not dispute that the
`
`majority of the relevant evidence will come from Defendants. USR also does not allege that any
`
`of its evidence is in Delaware. The Federal Circuit has cautioned that “[w]hile advances in
`
`technology may alter the weight given” to this factor, “it is improper to ignore [it] entirely.” In
`
`re Link_A_Media, 662 F.3d at 1224. As all the relevant evidence is outside of this District and
`
`most of it is in the Northern District of California, the location of the evidence favors transfer.
`
`B.
`
`The Relevant Public Interest Factors Also Weigh in Favor of Transfer.
`
`Practical Considerations Favor Transfer. Contrary to USR’s arguments, the fact that
`
`Defendants’ employees and documents and potential third-party witnesses are all in the Northern
`
`District of California is not “re-stating” or “double-count[ing]” arguments. (Opp. at 16.) To the
`
`extent that this Court credits USR’s arguments that Apple’s and Visa’s wealth, or Visa’s
`
`incorporation in Delaware, reduce the amount the parties’ convenience factor weighs in favor of
`
`Defendants, those facts are irrelevant to this factor. See Mitel Networks Corp. v. Facebook, Inc.,
`
`943 F. Supp. 2d 463, 475-76 (D. Del. 2013) (While the convenience of the parties factor was
`
`neutral because defendant is incorporated in Delaware the underlying facts support transfer
`
`because the “aggregate litigation costs would be reduced by litigating in California. Thus, … the
`
`‘practical considerations’ factor weighs in favor of transfer.”); Linex Techs., Inc. v. Hewlett-
`
`Packard Co., No. 11-400-GMS, 2013 WL 105323, at *6 (D. Del. Jan. 7, 2013) (factor examines
`
`RLF1 18316866v.1
`
`9
`
`

`

`Case 1:17-cv-00585-JFB-SRF Document 38 Filed 10/23/17 Page 14 of 15 PageID #: 890
`
`
`“practical considerations rather than ones of form;” “there is little reason to believe a California-
`
`based firm actually reduces its costs of litigating in this district . . . by incorporating in Delaware.
`
`. . . [T]he parties’ aggregate litigation costs will be reduced by litigating in California.”).
`
`Court Congestion Weighs in Favor of Transfer. “[F]rom May 22, 2017 to June 7, 2017,
`
`Delaware was the leading jurisdiction in the filing of new patent cases, receiving 16.4% of those
`
`cases. The Northern District of California, while second in the rankings, has received only 11.3%
`
`of new patent cases.” Cloudflare, 2017 WL 4543783, at *1-2, *12 (factor favors transfer where
`
`all parties incorporated in Delaware and California available and convenient); Symantec, 2017
`
`WL 3262246, at *2, *4 (factor favors transfer where both parties incorporated in Delaware).
`
`The Northern District of California Has a Strong Interest. Contrary to USR’s
`
`assertions, Visa’s incorporation in Delaware does not counterbalance the Northern District of
`
`California’s interest in this case. See OpenTV, 2014 WL 1292790, at *4 (“local interests” favor
`
`transfer because “Delaware’s resulting interest is less compelling than that of Northern
`
`California” where products designed and developed in transferee forum and Delaware’s only
`
`connection is both parties’ incorporation “and that the parties both offer services nationwide”);
`
`Contour IP Holding, 2017 WL 3189005, at *14 (“factor slightly favors transfer” where
`
`defendant incorporated in Delaware “[b]ut it does not want to claim the benefits of being a
`
`Delaware corporation;” “its Delaware corporate status should have little bearing” on factor.).
`
`III. Conclusion
`
`For these reasons and the reasons set forth in Defendants’ opening brief, this Court
`
`should grant Defendants’ motion, and transfer this action to the Northern District of California.
`
`
`
`RLF1 18316866v.1
`
`10
`
`

`

`Case 1:17-cv-00585-JFB-SRF Document 38 Filed 10/23/17 Page 15 of 15 PageID #: 891
`
`
`
`
`
`
`/s/ Bindu Palapura
`
`David E. Moore (#3983)
`Bindu Palapura (#5370)
`POTTER ANDERSON CORROON LLP
`1313 North Market Street 6th Floor
`Wilmington, DE 19801
`(302) 984-6147
`dmoore@potteranderson.com
`bpalapura@potteranderson.com
`
`Attorneys for Defendants Visa Inc. and
`Visa U.S.A., Inc.
`
`OF COUNSEL:
`
`James Yoon
`Jamie Y. Otto
`WILSON SONSINI GOODRICH & ROSATI
`650 Page Mill Road
`Palo Alto CA 94304
`(650) 320-4726
`
`
`
`
`
` /s/ Jason J. Rawnsley
`
`Fredrick L. Cottrell, III (#2555)
`Jason J. Rawnsley (#5379)
`RICHARDS, LAYTON & FINGER, P.A.
`920 North King Street
`Wilmington, DE 19801
`(302) 651-7700
`cottrell@rlf.com
`rawnsley@rlf.com
`
`Attorneys for Defendant Apple Inc.
`
`OF COUNSEL:
`
`Mark D. Selwyn
`Liv L. Herriot
`WILMER CUTLER PICKERING
` HALE & DORR LLP
`950 Page Mill Road
`Palo Alto, CA 94304
`(650) 858-6000
`
`Monica Grewal
`WILMER CUTLER PICKERING
` HALE & DORR LLP
`60 State Street
`Boston, MA 02109
`(202) 663-6000
`
`Derek A. Gosma
`WILMER CUTLER PICKERING
` HALE & DORR LLP
`350 South Grand Avenue, Suite 2100
`Los Angeles, CA 90071
`(213) 443-5300
`
`Dated: October 23, 2017
`
`
`RLF1 18316866v.1
`
`11
`
`

This document is available on Docket Alarm but you must sign up to view it.


Or .

Accessing this document will incur an additional charge of $.

After purchase, you can access this document again without charge.

Accept $ Charge
throbber

Still Working On It

This document is taking longer than usual to download. This can happen if we need to contact the court directly to obtain the document and their servers are running slowly.

Give it another minute or two to complete, and then try the refresh button.

throbber

A few More Minutes ... Still Working

It can take up to 5 minutes for us to download a document if the court servers are running slowly.

Thank you for your continued patience.

This document could not be displayed.

We could not find this document within its docket. Please go back to the docket page and check the link. If that does not work, go back to the docket and refresh it to pull the newest information.

Your account does not support viewing this document.

You need a Paid Account to view this document. Click here to change your account type.

Your account does not support viewing this document.

Set your membership status to view this document.

With a Docket Alarm membership, you'll get a whole lot more, including:

  • Up-to-date information for this case.
  • Email alerts whenever there is an update.
  • Full text search for other cases.
  • Get email alerts whenever a new case matches your search.

Become a Member

One Moment Please

The filing “” is large (MB) and is being downloaded.

Please refresh this page in a few minutes to see if the filing has been downloaded. The filing will also be emailed to you when the download completes.

Your document is on its way!

If you do not receive the document in five minutes, contact support at support@docketalarm.com.

Sealed Document

We are unable to display this document, it may be under a court ordered seal.

If you have proper credentials to access the file, you may proceed directly to the court's system using your government issued username and password.


Access Government Site

We are redirecting you
to a mobile optimized page.





Document Unreadable or Corrupt

Refresh this Document
Go to the Docket

We are unable to display this document.

Refresh this Document
Go to the Docket