Fossil Group, Inc. v. Angel Seller LLC

CourtDistrict Court, E.D. New York
DecidedAugust 12, 2022
Docket1:20-cv-02441
StatusUnknown

This text of Fossil Group, Inc. v. Angel Seller LLC (Fossil Group, Inc. v. Angel Seller LLC) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Fossil Group, Inc. v. Angel Seller LLC, (E.D.N.Y. 2022).

Opinion

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT EASTERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK --------------------------------------------------------X FOSSIL GROUP, INC. et al.,

Plaintiffs,

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER -against- 20-CV-2441 (HG) (TAM)

ANGEL SELLER LLC et al.,

Defendants. --------------------------------------------------------X T ARYN A. MERKL, United States Magistrat e Judg e:

Fossil Group, Inc. and Michael Kors, LLC (“Plaintiffs”) bring this action against Angel Seller LLC and others (“Defendants”) claiming that Defendants are selling counterfeit watches that infringe upon Michael Kors’ trademarks through Defendant Angel Seller’s Amazon.com store front. (Amended Complaint (“Am. Compl.”), ECF No. 16, ¶¶ 1–2, 22–24.) In support of these claims, the Amended Complaint details Plaintiffs’ purchase of several watches they assert are counterfeit from Defendant Angel Seller between August 2019 and September 2020, including a purchase made following commencement of this lawsuit. (Id. ¶¶ 27–42.) Defendants dispute these accusations, claiming that the products it sells on its website are legitimate. (Amended Answer (“Am. Answer”), ECF No. 21, ¶¶ 22–24, Counterclaims ¶ 29.) Currently pending before the Court is Defendants’ motion to seal portions of the September 23, 2021 Hearing Transcript and Plaintiffs’ letter identifying portions of the September 23, 2021 Hearing Transcript they seek to have sealed. (See Sept. 23, 2021 Hr’g Tr., ECF No. 110; Defs.’ Mot. to Seal, ECF No. 116; Pls.’ Proposed Redactions, ECF No. 117.) FACTUAL BACKGROUND AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY1 On September 23, 2021, the Court held a motion hearing regarding various of the parties’ discovery motions. (See Sept. 23, 2021 ECF Minute Entry and Order.) On October 13, 2021, Defendants filed a motion to seal portions of the September 23, 2021 Hearing Transcript. (See Sept. 23, 2021 Hr’g Tr., ECF No. 110; Defs.’ Mot. to Seal, ECF No. 116.) Defendants request to seal the following lines from the September 23, 2021 Hearing Transcript because the lines in question contain information relating to Defendants’ suppliers: 5:19; 6:19–20; 19:11–13; 19:15–17; 19:20; 20:4; 20:18; 22:3–5; 22:7–

10; 22:12–13; 68:21–69:3; 69:9–10; 70:1–2; 70:7–14; 71:25–72:2. (Defs.’ Mot. to Seal, ECF No. 116, at 1.) Defendants also request that the following portions of the September 23, 2021 Hearing Transcript be sealed because the lines in question identify the quantity of watches they purportedly have in inventory: 7:23; 8:1; 8:3; 11:3; 24:7; 24:10. (Id. at 1–2; see also Defs.’ Additional Authority, ECF No. 141, at 1.) Also on October 13, 2021, Plaintiffs filed a letter identifying portions of the September 23, 2021 Hearing Transcript they seek to have sealed. (Pls.’ Proposed Redactions, ECF No. 117.) Specifically, Plaintiffs request sealing of the following portions of the September 23, 2021 Hearing Transcript: 14:23–15:1; 16:22–17:3; 17:13; 17:20–21; 22:23–23:4; 23:9–11. (Id. at 1.) Plaintiffs argue that the “identified information pertains to the Plaintiffs’ trade secrets and highly confidential business information related to Plaintiffs’ brand protection program, the factors Plaintiffs use when determining whether a product is counterfeit, and the specific factors applicable to Defendants at-issue watches.” (Id.) In addition, despite concerns that Defendants’

1 This Order assumes familiarity with the background of the case, the underlying facts, and the relevant procedural history, and includes only the limited procedural history relevant to the instant motion. requests were overly broad, Plaintiffs indicated that they did not object to Defendants’ proposed sealing requests. (Id. at 1–2.) Following the parties’ initial submissions, the Court entered an order directing the parties to file any additional authority in support of their sealing requests by November 17, 2021, and to include “a specific explanation as to how the disclosure of each proposed reaction outweighs the presumption of public access.” (Nov. 10, 2021 ECF Order.)2 In response, both parties filed letters providing additional authority in support of their requests to seal. (Pls.’ Additional Authority, ECF No. 138; Defs.’

Additional Authority, ECF No. 141.) Notably, Plaintiffs withdrew their request to seal page 23 lines 9 through 11, and clarified that they seek to seal page 17, lines 13 through 17, not only page 17, line 13. (Pls.’ Additional Authority, ECF No. 138, at 1, 1 n.1.) For the reasons stated below, Defendants’ Motion to Seal (ECF No. 116) is granted in part and denied in part. Plaintiffs’ request to seal portions of the transcript (ECF No. 117) is also granted in part and denied in part. DISCUSSION I. Legal Standards The right of public access to judicial documents and the public’s interest in monitoring the administration of justice are both well established. See Lugosch v.

2 In the Court’s order directing additional briefing, the Court observed that: “Although the parties’ proposed redactions are largely consistent with the positions taken by the parties with respect to designating certain information in this case Confidential and Highly Confidential, the parties’ determinations do not provide a sufficient basis to seal excerpts of transcripts of court proceedings.” (Nov. 10, 2021 ECF Order.) The Court noted that the parties had not “analyzed their redaction requests granularly against the presumption of availability that attends to judicial documents and the factors that must be weighed in determining whether to seal them.” (Id. (citing King Pharms., Inc. v. Eon Labs, Inc., No. 04-CV-5540 (DGT) (RLM), 2010 WL 3924689, at *6 (E.D.N.Y. Sept. 28, 2010)).) The Court further noted that the parties’ requests for sealing were broad and sought sealing of information that “may not actually comprise sensitive information, much less information that is so sensitive that the risk of disclosure outweighs the presumption of public access to Court proceedings.” (Id.) Pyramid Co. of Onondaga, 435 F.3d 110, 119–20 (2d Cir. 2006); United States v. Aref, 533 F.3d 72, 83 (2d Cir. 2008); King Pharms., Inc. v. Eon Labs, Inc., No. 04-CV-5540 (DGT) (RLM), 2010 WL 3924689, at *4 (E.D.N.Y. Sept. 28, 2010) (collecting cases). The right of public access gives rise to a rebuttable presumption of public availability, the weight of which presumption “must be governed by the role of the material at issue in the exercise of Article III judicial power and the resultant value of such information to those monitoring the federal courts.”

King Pharms, Inc., 2010 WL 3924689, at *4 (quoting United States v. Amodeo, 71 F.3d 1044, 1049 (2d Cir. 1995) (“Amodeo II”)); see also Lugosch, 435 F.3d at 120 (“[D]ocuments may be sealed if ‘specific, on the record findings are made demonstrating that closure is essential to preserve higher values and is narrowly tailored to serve that interest.’” (quoting In re New York Times Co., 828 F.2d 110, 116 (2d Cir. 1987) (quotation marks omitted))); United States v. Amodeo, 44 F.3d 141, 145 (2d Cir. 1995) (“Amodeo I”). When reviewing a motion to seal, courts consider three factors: (1) whether the document is a “judicial document”; (2) “the weight of the presumption of access to that document”; and (3) whether “all of the factors that legitimately counsel against disclosure of the judicial document” outweigh “the weight properly accorded the presumption of access.” Mirlis v. Greer, 952 F.3d 51, 59 (2d Cir.

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Related

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Fossil Group, Inc. v. Angel Seller LLC, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/fossil-group-inc-v-angel-seller-llc-nyed-2022.