High Point Design LLC v. Buyer's Direct, Inc.

621 F. App'x 632
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
DecidedJuly 30, 2015
Docket2014-1464
StatusUnpublished
Cited by17 cases

This text of 621 F. App'x 632 (High Point Design LLC v. Buyer's Direct, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
High Point Design LLC v. Buyer's Direct, Inc., 621 F. App'x 632 (Fed. Cir. 2015).

Opinion

CHEN, Circuit Judge.

This is the second time this case has been appealed to our court. In High Point Design LLC v. Buyers Direct, Inc., 730 F.3d 1301 (Fed.Cir.2013) (“High Point *634 /”), we reversed the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York’s grant of summary judgment of invalidity of the design patent belonging to Buyers Direct, Inc. (BDI). We ruled that the district court made various errors in finding the claimed design obvious, including that it applied the wrong legal standard and failed to adequately explain how it reached the conclusion that the prior art created “basically the same” visual impression as the patented design. Id. at 1313— 14. We also vacated the district court’s dismissal of BDI’s trade dress infringement claim because there was insufficient basis for this court to review the district court’s decision to deny BDI the opportunity to amend the- complaint. Id. at 1319-20.

On remand, the district court, again granted summary judgment, finding that: (1) the asserted patent was anticipated; (2) the accused products did not infringe; (3) BDI was not entitled to additional discovery on infringement issues; and (4) BDI failed to show “good cause” for allowing its amendments to the complaint after the deadline in the scheduling order. High Point Design LLC v. Buyer’s Direct Inc., No. 11 CIV. 4530 KBF, 2014 WL 1244558, at *7-9 (S.D.N.Y. Mar. 26, 2014) (“Remand Order ”).

BDI challenges each of these determinations on appeal. For the reasons set forth below, we reverse summary judgment of invalidity, affirm summary judgment of non-infringement, affirm the denial of BDI’s motion for additional discovery, and affirm the denial of BDI’s motion to amend the complaint.

I. BACKGROUND

The background of the case is set forth in High Point I and the Remand Order. We recount below only the facts pertinent to the issues on appeal.

BDI owns a design patent for the ornamental appearance of a fuzzy slipper, U.S. Patent No. D598,183 (the D'183 patent). The D'183 patent is entitled “Slipper,” and recites one claim for “the ornamental design for a slipper, as shown and described” in eight figures. Exemplary Figures 1 and 4 are reproduced below:

[[Image here]]

The claimed design discloses two embodiments for the slipper soles. One embodiment has a sole with two groups of raised dots (Figure 7 on the left), and the other has a sole with a smooth bottom (Figure 8 on the right).

*635 [[Image here]]

A.

BDI manufactures a slipper called the SNOOZIE® (Snoozie), which it' contends is an embodiment of the design disclosed in the D'183 patent. An exemplary Snoo-zie slipper is shown below:

High Point Design LLC (High Point) manufactures and distributes the accused FUZZY BABBA® slipper (Fuzzy Babba). Fuzzy Babba slippers are sold through various retailers, including Meijer, Sears, and Wal-mart (collectively Retailers) and are alleged to compete with Snoozie. An exemplary Fuzzy Babba slipper is shown below:

After learning about the Fuzzy Babba slippers, BDI sent a cease and desist letter to High Point asserting design patent infringement. In response, High Point filed a complaint in district court seeking declaratory judgment that the design of the accused slipper does not infringe the D'183 patent,- and that the patent is invalid and/or unenforceable. BDI then counterclaimed for patent infringement and infringement of its trade dress for Snoozie. BDI also filed a third-party complaint which alleged that the Retailers infringe the D'183 patent and BDI’s trade dress by selling Fuzzy Babba slippers. 1

*636 B.

On February 28, 2012, the district court issued a scheduling order which set March 16, 2012, as the deadline for parties to amend their pleadings. BDI did not move to amend its counterclaims by that date. Four days after the deadline, on March 20, 2012, High Point filed' motions seeking summary judgment of invalidity and non-infringement of the D'183 patent, and judgment on the pleadings with respect to BDI’s trade dress claim.

BDI opposed the motion, including with its briefing an amended complaint that provided added detail describing the particular trade dress at issue in its trade dress claim.

The district court granted High Point’s motion for summary judgment of invalidity, finding the patented design obvious over the prior art. High Point Design LLC v. Buyer’s Direct, Inc., No. 11 CIV. 4530 KBF, 2012 WL 1820565, at *5 (S.D.N.Y. May 15, 2012) (“2012 Order”). The district court based its determination on two primary references: the Laurel Hill and the Penta slippers, both of which were sold at one point in time by Woolrich (collectively the Woolrich Prior Art).

The district court also dismissed BDI’s trade dress claim as inadequate under the pleading requirements of Rule 12(b)(6) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure (Federal Rules). Id. at *6. In particular, the district court found BDI failed to set forth the specific characteristics and scope of the trade dress at issue as required by Second Circuit law. Id. (citing Sherwood 48 Assoc. v. Sony Corp. of Am., 76 Fed. Appx. 389, 391 (2d Cir.2003)). Accordingly, the district court entered final judgment in favor of High Point. 2012 Order, 2012 WL 1820565, at *6.

BDI appealed the district court’s grant of summary judgment and the dismissal of its trade dress infringement claim.

C.

In High Point I, we held that the district court’s obviousness analysis was flawed for a number of reasons. We determined that the district court wrongly used an “ordinary observer” standard, instead of the appropriate “ordinary designer” test for obviousness. High Point I, 730 F.3d at 1313. We also found that the district court’s verbal description of the D'183 patent translated the scope of the patented design at “too high a level of abstraction” and failed to focus on the distinctive visual appearance of the design. Id. at 1314 (quoting Apple, Inc. v. Samsung Elecs. Co., 678 F.3d 1314, 1331-32 (Fed.Cir.2012)). We also found that the district court failed to sufficiently explain its determination that the Woolrich Prior Art created “basically the same” visual impression as the claimed design. High Point I, 730 F.3d at 1314.

We instructed the district court on remand to (i) apply the “ordinary designer” test for obviousness, id. at 1313; (ii) add sufficient detail to its verbal description of the claimed design “to evoke a visual im *637 age consonant with that design[,]” id.

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621 F. App'x 632, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/high-point-design-llc-v-buyers-direct-inc-cafc-2015.