Bel Fuse Inc. v. Molex Inc.

27 F. Supp. 3d 557, 2014 WL 2710956, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 81954
CourtDistrict Court, D. New Jersey
DecidedJune 16, 2014
DocketCivil Action No. 13-2566 (JBS/JS)
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 27 F. Supp. 3d 557 (Bel Fuse Inc. v. Molex Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. New Jersey primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Bel Fuse Inc. v. Molex Inc., 27 F. Supp. 3d 557, 2014 WL 2710956, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 81954 (D.N.J. 2014).

Opinion

OPINION

SIMANDLE, Chief Judge:

I. INTRODUCTION

This matter comes before the Court upon Defendant’s motion to dismiss claims of patent infringement in Plaintiffs’ Amended Complaint for failure to state a claim under Fed.R.Civ.P. 12(b)(6). [Docket Item 15.]

Defendant argues that Plaintiffs’ allegations are so overbroad they do not state a plausible claim of direct or induced infringement as needed to satisfy minimal pleading standards. Defendant also argues that Plaintiffs fail to plead the required elements to state a claim for contributory infringement.

For the reasons discussed below, the Court will deny Defendant’s motion to dismiss.

II. BACKGROUND

A. Factual Background

Plaintiffs’ Amended Complaint alleges that magnetic jacks manufactured, used, offered for sale, sold or imported by Defendant infringe three separate patents owned by Plaintiffs: U.S. Patent No. 7,123,117 (the “'117 patent”); U.S. Patent No. 5,736,910 (the “'910 patent”); and U.S. Patent No. 6,840,817 (the “'817 patent”) (collectively, the “patents-in-suit”). (Am. Compl. [Docket Item 11] ¶¶ 10-13.) The three patents-in-suit involve connectors that link computers to other computers or networks, and each patent is directed to a different connector technology.

Patent '117 includes 13 claims and the first claim is

[a] magnetic interface circuit which comprises:
a transformer having a first winding connected to a first circuit and second winding connected to a second circuit each of the first and second windings having two output ports and at least one of the windings having a center tap port; and
a 3-wire common mode choke having a center winding and two outer windings, the center winding being connected to the center tap of the at least one winding and the outer windings being respectively connected to the output ports of the, at least one winding.

(Am. Compl. Ex. A at col. 7, 29^40.)

Patent '910 includes 22 claims and describes “[a] modular jack connector mounted on a main printed circuit board and having a receptacle into which a modular plug of an electronic component is inserted.” (Am. Compl. Ex. B at 1.) The first claim is

[a] modular connector for mounting on a main printed circuit board and for receiving a plug, comprising
[560]*560a housing,
a first set of contacts, arranged in said housing each adapted to engage one of the contacts of the plug,
a second set of contacts at least partially arranged in said housing and adapted to engage the main printed circuit board,
a contact coupling printed circuit board for electrically coupling said first and second set of contacts, said contact coupling printed circuit board providing a signal path between respective ones of the first and second sets of contacts,
a capacitor comprising a flexible laminate assembly including first and second flexible conductive sheet members and an intermediate insulative material, said first conductive sheet member being electrically coupled to said contact coupling printed circuit board, and
a metallic shield at least partially surrounding said housing for connecting to a grounding region on the main printed circuit board, said second conductive sheet member being electrically coupled to said metallic shield to thereby ground said first set of contacts through said capacitor.

{Id. at col. 8, 23-48.)

Patent '817 includes 13 claims and describes “[a]n RJ connector with integrated magnetics which incorporates a structure to eliminate aperture leakage.” (Am. Compl. Ex. C at 1.) The first claim is

[a] modular connector, which comprises: a housing having at least two aligned compartments, a top portion and a bottom portion, each compartment being structured and arranged to receive respective plugs;
a plurality of signal pins provided at the bottom portion of the housing;
a shield arranged at the bottom portion of the housing, the shield having a first electrically isolated conductive element electrically connected to one signal pin of the plurality of signal pins, the first conductive element being operable to suppress electromagnetic interference at the bottom portion of the 'housing; and a multilayer printed wiring board separating the two compartments.

{Id. at col. 11, 8-22.)

Plaintiffs’ Amended Complaint states,
At least- the following magnetic jacks, which are manufactured, used, offered for sale, sold, and/or imported by Molex in or into the United States infringe one or more claims of each of the Asserted Patents: jacks to which Molex refers in its publications as “Single Port Magnetic Jacks,” “Multi port Magnetic Jacks,” “Single Port PoE Magnetic Jacks,” “Multi port PoE Magnetic Jacks” and “Surface Mount Technology” jacks (collectively referred to as “Molex’s Magnetic Jacks” or “Magnetic Jacks”).

(Am.Compl. ¶ 13) Plaintiffs further allege that “Molex has been and is infringing, actively inducing others to infringe, and/or contributing to the infringement of one or more claims of each of the Asserted Patents” and “Molex has been and is knowingly inducing infringement of one or more claims of each of the Asserted Patents with specific intent to do so.” {Id. ¶¶ 20-21.) Plaintiffs assert that Defendant has been aware of the patents-in-suit through Plaintiffs’ patent markings and/or because Defendant was provided a copy of Plain-, tiffs’ initial complaint on April 11, 2012. {Id. ¶ 19.) Plaintiffs seeks compensatory damages and injunctive relief. {Id. ¶¶ 25, B, C.)

B. Procedural Background

On April 22, 2013, Plaintiffs Bel Fuse Inc., Bel Fuse Ltd., Bel Fuse (Macau Commercial Offshore) Ltd., Bel Connector Inc., and Bel Transformer Inc. (collectively, “Bel Fuse”) filed a complaint against [561]*561Defendant Molex Incorporated (“Molex”) alleging infringement of the patents-in-suit.1 * On August 20, 2013, Molex filed a partial motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim under Fed.R.Civ.P. 12(b)(6). [Docket Item 8.] On August 20, 2013, Plaintiffs filed an Amended Complaint. [Docket Item 11.] Accordingly, the Court dismissed as moot Defendant’s first motion to dismiss. [Docket Item 14.] Defendant then filed the instant motion to dismiss. [Docket Item 15.]

III. STANDARD OF REVIEW

A motion to dismiss under Fed.R.Civ.P. 12(b)(6) may be granted only if, accepting all well-pleaded allegations in the complaint as true and viewing them in the light most favorable to the plaintiff, a court concludes that plaintiff failed to set forth fair notice of what the claim is and the grounds upon which it rests that make such a claim plausible on its face.

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27 F. Supp. 3d 557, 2014 WL 2710956, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 81954, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bel-fuse-inc-v-molex-inc-njd-2014.