A Blog About Intellectual Property Litigation and the District of Delaware


Entries for tag: KB

Which Magistrate Judge Will You Get in a District of Delaware Case?

Andrew E. Russell, Jan. 11, 2021
KB Magistrate Judges

Wilmington, <a href='#' class='abbreviation' data-bs-toggle='tooltip' data-placement='top' title='Delaware'>DE</a>
Wilmington, DE Andrew Russell, CC BY 2.0

In the District of Delaware, the district court judges often refer substantive issues to the magistrate judges, even absent consent of the parties. This is one way that the judges manage the incredible load of the patent docket here.

When dealing with substantive referrals (not referrals for mediation/ADR), the Court uses an assignment system, where particular district court judges tend to refer cases and motions only to their assigned magistrate judges (with occasional exceptions).

The most recent announcement of magistrate judge assignments that I know of was made at a Federal Bar Association lunch back in September 2019:

  • Magistrate Judges Thynge …
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Words, Words, Words

Jeff Castellano, Dec. 29, 2020
Page Limits KB

Longstanding practice in the District of Delaware, pursuant to the Court's local rules and the Judges' form scheduling orders and other standing orders, mandated page limits for briefing.
For example, the Court's local rules set limits of 20 pages for opening, briefs 20 pages for answering briefs, and 10 pages for reply briefs, all in 12 point font. See LR 7.1.3(a)(4); LR 5.1.1(a). However, since about mid-2019, some Judges here have permitted or required word limits in lieu of page limits for some types of documents.

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Here's a Spreadsheet That Forecasts IPR Deadlines and Timing Based on the Filing Date

Andrew E. Russell, Nov. 23, 2020
KB IPR Timing Estimator

IPR Timing Estimator Screenshot
Andrew E. Russell

It can be kind of a pain to estimate the schedule of an inter partes review proceeding beforehand, because the dates are relative (e.g., "30 days after x"), and because the deadlines are set in a number of different places (e.g., the U.S. Code, the Code of Federal Regulations, the PTAB's Trial Practice Guide).

A few years ago, I put together a spreadsheet that automatically estimates the timing and deadlines of an IPR based on the filing date. I've updated it a couple of times since then.

A spreadsheet like this can be a great help when you need to figure out the timing of an IPR so that you can do …

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On The Hazards of Talking to Your Witness During a Deposition in Delaware

Andrew E. Russell, Nov. 9, 2020
Rule 30.6 Rule 30

hiroshi-kimura-rtX4wxMEI2M-unsplash.jpg
Hiroshi Kimura, Unsplash

Since the early 2000's, the District of Delaware local rules have prohibited talking to a witness about the subject matter of their deposition testimony during a deposition:

RULE 30.6. Depositions Upon Oral Examination.
From the commencement until the conclusion of deposition questioning by an opposing party, including any recesses or continuances, counsel for the deponent shall not consult or confer with the deponent regarding the substance of the testimony already given or anticipated to be given, except for the purpose of conferring on whether to assert a privilege against testifying or on how to comply with a court order.

It's not uncommon for visiting counsel defending depositions in Delaware cases to not know this rule. …

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You'd Have to Be Certifiably Insane to Move for an Interlocutory Appeal

Nathan R. Hoeschen, Nov. 5, 2020
KB Interlocutory Appeal

Attorneys deciding to move for certification of interlocutory appeal
Attorneys deciding to move for certification of interlocutory appeal Oleg Moroz, Unsplash

As we mentioned earlier this week, Judge Noreika issued another in a storied line of Memorandum Orders denying a request to certify an interlocutory appeal. The decision in Arbor Global Strategies LLC v. Xilinx, Inc., C.A. No. 19-1986-MN, D.I. 68 (D. Del. Oct. 30, 2020) was a fairly unremarkable denial, but it caused me to wonder just how rare it is to see one of these granted. So I checked.

As far back as DocketNavigator goes (which is apparently January 2008), I count 23 separate Delaware cases where a party has requested certification. Of those, only four have been granted, the most recent of …

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Does It Matter Whether a Patent Plaintiff Is Actually Located in Delaware?

Andrew E. Russell, Oct. 28, 2020
Jumara Transfer

Globe
Adolfo Félix, Unsplash

The short answer is: it depends on the judge.

These days, most Delaware patent plaintiffs are incorporated in Delaware but not located here. Different District of Delaware judges have gone different ways on the question of whether a plaintiff's location actually matters when considering whether to transfer a case out of Delaware.

Transfer motions are governed by the twelve "Jumara factors," and plaintiff's choice of forum gets "paramount" weight except—some judges have held—when the plaintiff is not actually located in Delaware.

Judge Connolly today answered this question with a resounding "no," holding that the location of plaintiff's principal place of business does not matter to whether it's choice of forum gets paramount weight: …

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101 Days Are Not Always Funerals for Patents

Nathan R. Hoeschen, Oct. 15, 2020
KB 101 Day

Artist's Rendering of First 101 Day Hearing
Artist's Rendering of First 101 Day Hearing Execution of Mary, Queen of Scots, from "Illustrated London News", William Luson Thomas

It was not so long ago that plaintiffs might enter a § 101 day hearing before Judge Stark with hats in hands, ready to plead for any small mercy. To some, having one's case set for a § 101 day hearing was to know the day and the hour. But that was back in the heady days of early 2019. With two new § 101-day rulings issued by Judge Stark just this week, plaintiffs need no longer dread these (approximately) quarterly events.

Claims of All Three Patents Invalidated At Inaugural § 101 Day

At the inaugural hearing in …

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