JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A. v. DataTreasury Corp.

79 F. Supp. 3d 643, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 72204, 2015 WL 3509563
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Texas
DecidedFebruary 5, 2015
DocketCause No. 5:12-cv-119
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 79 F. Supp. 3d 643 (JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A. v. DataTreasury Corp.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A. v. DataTreasury Corp., 79 F. Supp. 3d 643, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 72204, 2015 WL 3509563 (E.D. Tex. 2015).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER

MICHAEL H. SCHNEIDER, UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE

Now before the Court are cross motions for summary judgment (and one related motion to dismiss) in a breach of license contract dispute between Plaintiff JPMor-gan Chase Bank, N.A. (JPMC1) and Defendant DataTreasury Corporation (DTC). The controversy involves JPMC’s lump sum payment for the use of DTC’s patented technology. The license agreement (License Agreement) governing that use contains a most favored license clause (MFL clause2), granting JPMC the right to “any and all more favorable terms” in comparable later licenses of the patents. JPMC contends that DTC breached the License Agreement by, first, failing to provide JPMC notice of later license agreements granting use of the same patents and by, second, refusing to grant JPMC the benefit of the more favorable pricing made available in one or more of the later license agreements.

JPMC seeks summary judgment and a ruling that DTC owes JPMC the benefit of the price term in a more favorable subsequent license agreement, including a refund of the difference between the price terms. In the same motion, it also seeks summary judgment finding that DTC’s affirmative defenses and counterclaims are all without merit. JPMC also filed a separate motion to dismiss DTC’s counterclaims. The Court considers the motions together. DTC opposes with several arguments, many of which are repeated in its three partial summary judgment motions on (1) the applicability of the MFL clause; (2) its affirmative defense of waiver; and (3) its affirmative defense of the statute of limitations.

Having thoroughly considered the parties’ briefs and oral argument, the terms and structure of the agreements in dispute, and the applicable law the Court DENIES IN PART and GRANTS IN PART JPMC’s motion for summary judgment (Doc. No. 110) and DENIES DTC’s motions for partial summary judgment (Doc. Nos. 1.11, 117 and 118). JPMC’s motion to dismiss DTC’s counterclaims (Doc. No. 119) is DENIED as MOOT.

1. FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

On June 28, 2005, JPMC and BOC each entered into settlement agreements with DTC resolving patent infringement claims arising from certain of DTC’s patents. The parties also entered into the License Agreement, allowing JPMC to use DTC’s patents for a total consideration of $70 million. Although the $70 million altogether was a lump-sum payment for unlimited use of DTC’s patents and not a “running royalty” paid per-use, the parties agreed to payment in installments: $25 million in 2005 under the BOC Settlement and Release Agreement; $5 million in 2005 under the JPMC Settlement and Release Agreement; and $5.5 million each year from 2006 to 2011, with a final $7 million payment in 2012. Together, these payments [647]*647are the full consideration for JPMC’s use of DTC’s patents.3

Section 9 of the License Agreement contains the MFL clause at issue, which states:

9. Most Favored Licensee
If DTC grants to any other Person a license to any of the Licensed Patents, it will so notify JPMC, and JPMC will be entitled to the benefit of any and all more favorable terms with respect to such Licensed Patents. JPMC agrees that $.02 to $.05 per Transaction is a reasonable royalty under the license granted herein, and JPMC makes no representation as to what pro-rata share of such royalty is attributable to any portion or sub-part of such Transaction. The notification required under this Section shall be provided by DTC to JPMC in writing within thirty (30) days of the execution of any such third party license and shall be accompanied by a copy of the third party license agreement, which may be redacted by DTC if necessary to comply with any judicial order or other confidentiality obligation. The MFN shall be applied within thirty (30) days from the date this provision is recognized in accordance with Section 10.7.

(See Doc. No. 42, Ex. 1, at 7.) Section 10.1 requires notices to be by fax and express delivery to both JPMC’s Office of General Counsel and to outside counsel at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP (Skad-den). Section 10.7 is a choice of law and forum clause requiring that the License Agreement be construed under Texas law, and that jurisdiction and venue exist solely in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, Texarkana Division. (See Doc. No. 42, Ex. 1, at 9.)

After entering into the License Agreement, DTC separately entered into several other licensing agreements (the Subsequent Licenses) involving the same patents but at different lump sum price terms. Notably here, on October 1, 2012, DTC entered into such a license agreement with non-party Cathay General Bancorp (Cathay). The lump sum price term for Cathay’s sole use (i.e., not extending to any after-acquired entities) was $250,000. However, as discussed below, the full consideration under the Cathay license also required additional payments under an established formula for any additional entities Cathay acquired later. No such provision exists in the JPMC-DTC License Agreement.

On November 29, 2012, JPMC filed the instant lawsuit for breach of contract against DTC, alleging that DTC had failed to notify JPMC of the Subsequent Licenses and that “many of the Subsequent Licenses were granted on terms substantially more favorable than those afforded to JPMC.” Complaint at 4. Of note, the Cathay license agreement had not been noticed to JPMC, but was produced after JPMC initiated this lawsuit.

In its instant motion for summary judgment (Doc. No. 110), JPMC seeks the benefit of the isolated price term granted to [648]*648Cathay,4 and summary judgment on DTC’s affirmative defenses and counterclaims. To obtain that benefit, JPMC contends that its $70 million lump-sum price term must be retroactively replaced with Cathay’s $250,000 lump-sum price term and the balance refunded. JPMC also moved to dismiss DTC’s counterclaims (Doc. No. 119).

DTC has filed three cross-motions for partial summary judgment on: (1) its affirmative defense of the statute of limitations (Doc. No. Ill); (2) its affirmative defense of waiver (Doc. No. 117); and (3) the applicability of the MFL clause and finding of no breach as to certain claims (Doc. No. 118). The Court takes up all of the cross-motions together.5

II. STANDARD

Rule 56(a) requires the issuance of summary judgment “if there is no genuine issue as to any material fact,” and the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(a). The movant bears the initial burden of informing the court of the basis for its motion and identifying those portions of the record it believes demonstrate the absence of a genuine issue of material fact. Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 323, 106 S.Ct. 2548, 91 L.Ed.2d 265 (1986). Only when the moving party has discharged this initial burden does the burden shift to the non-moving party to demonstrate that there is a genuine dispute of material fact: Id. at 322, 106 S.Ct. 2548.

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Bluebook (online)
79 F. Supp. 3d 643, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 72204, 2015 WL 3509563, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/jp-morgan-chase-bank-na-v-datatreasury-corp-txed-2015.