MacDermid Printing Solutions LLC v. Cortron Corp.

833 F.3d 172, 2016 U.S. App. LEXIS 14662, 2016 WL 4204795
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Second Circuit
DecidedAugust 10, 2016
Docket15-589-cv
StatusPublished
Cited by34 cases

This text of 833 F.3d 172 (MacDermid Printing Solutions LLC v. Cortron Corp.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
MacDermid Printing Solutions LLC v. Cortron Corp., 833 F.3d 172, 2016 U.S. App. LEXIS 14662, 2016 WL 4204795 (2d Cir. 2016).

Opinion

JOSÉ A. CABRANES, Circuit Judge:

This appeal primarily concerns the requirements for proving an adverse effect on competition for purposes of section 1 of the Sherman Act, 15 U.S.C. § 1, in cases where the plaintiff has not proved that the allegedly anticompetitive behavior led to higher prices, reduced output, or lower quality in the market. We hold that in such cases, a plaintiff may not prevail under the “rule of reason” merely by proving that (1) the defendant exercised “market power,” and (2) the challenged behavior may have misled consumers to believe that certain products were no longer available, without showing that consumers actually experienced reduced access to those products.

Defendant-appellant Cortron Corp. (“Cortron”) appeals from a February 17, 2015 judgment of the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut (Michael P. Shea, Judge), which awarded damages of $64,670,821 pursuant to a jury verdict for plaintiff-appellee MacDermid Printing Solutions LLC (“MacDermid”) on its claims for violations of federal and Connecticut antitrust laws, breach of contract, misappropriation of trade secrets, spoliation, and violations of Connecticut statutes prohibiting computer crimes and unfair trade practices. MacDermid had alleged that its commercial rival, nonparty E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Co. (“DuPont”), filed a bogus patent-infringement suit against Cortron, MacDermid’s supplier, and that when Cortron and DuPont settled that suit, they entered into an anticompetitive conspiracy that damaged MacDermid’s business and hurt consumers.

On appeal, Cortron argues that the District Court erred in (1) denying Cortron a new trial or judgment as a matter of law on its antitrust claims; (2) permitting Mac-Dermid to present evidence of its lawyers’ patent advice; (3) concluding that the jury’s identical awards on each of the antitrust claims were not duplicative; and (4) failing to remit or to order a new trial on damages regarding the antitrust and trade-secrets claims.

*178 We agree with Cortron that the District Court erred in denying Cortron judgment as a matter of law with respect to MacDer-mid’s antitrust claims because MacDermid failed to present evidence that Cortron’s conduct harmed competition. We therefore REVERSE the judgment of the District Court with respect to the antitrust claims. We otherwise AFFIRM the judgment of the District Court and REMAND the cause to the District Court to recalculate damages in a manner consistent with this opinion.

I. BACKGROUND

A. Factual Background 1

MacDermid and DuPont market thermal flexographic processors, which are used to make plates for printing commercial packaging. Such processors are typically sold either to commercial printers, which produce packaging for consumer-goods companies, or to “trade shops,” which supply plates to commercial printers.

DuPont introduced the first thermal flexographic processor in 2000, under the “FAST” trade name. In 2002, MacDermid began to develop an alternative to FAST, which it introduced in 2004 under the “LAVA” trade name. At all relevant times, MacDermid and DuPont were the only companies that marketed thermal flexo-graphic processors, and DuPont had a dominant share of that market. 2

Soon after introducing its LAVA machines, MacDermid entered into two eon-tracts with Cortron. Under the “Joint Development Agreement,” signed in November 2004, MacDermid would pay Cor-tron to develop a second-generation LAVA processor. Under the “Manufacturing Agreement,” signed in April - 2005, MacDermid would pay Cortron to build first-generation LAVA processors and to safeguard MacDermid’s proprietary information.

In 2008, DuPont scheduled a meeting with Cortron, ostensibly to discuss potential business opportunities. During the meeting, which took place on April 1, 2008, DuPont informed Cortron that it had filed a lawsuit alleging that Cortron’s work for MacDermid infringed DuPont Patent No. 6,797,454 (“the '454 patent”).

DuPont and Cortron settled that suit in June 2008. As part of the settlement, Cor-tron agreed “to immediately cease manufacturing, selling, and offering to sell” thermal flexographic systems; 3 “to immediately cease and desist providing all service and/or technical support” for LAVA products; and to give DuPont “all Technical Information relating to” LAVA. 4 In exchange, DuPont agreed, inter alia, to dismiss its patent-infringement suit with prejudice and to indemnify Cortron against any lawsuit brought by MacDer-mid. In addition, under a separate agreement, DuPont paid Cortron about $140,000 for design work related to certain DuPont products. Pursuant to the settlement agreement, Cortron gave DuPont all technical information it had regarding LAVA *179 technology before deleting that information from its own systems. About five months later, Cortron ceased operations.

DuPont announced the settlement in a press release issued on July 30, 2008:

Under the terms of the agreement, Cor-tron ... agrees to immediately cease manufacturing LAVA [processors], as well as to immediately discontinue providing all service, spare parts, and technical support for any LAVA equipment .... Thermal processing equipment manufactured by Cortron has been marketed and sold by MacDermid Printing Solutions, LLC under the LAVA trade name. 5

Unsurprisingly, DuPont hoped that this press release would make potential customers “more likely to buy DuPont’s FAST” processors and “less likely” to buy MacDermid’s competing LAVA products. 6 Later that day, MacDermid issued its own press release, which accused DuPont of “inappropriately raising] some questions regarding MacDermid’s ability to support” its LAVA products and “assurefd] [Mac-' Dermid’s] customers that it will continue to sell, support and service” LAVA equipment. 7

Meanwhile, MacDermid had already started searching for a new manufacturer to replace Cortron. MacDermid had been concerned about Cortron’s financial stability even before the DuPont lawsuit. In 2007, MacDermid had started to plan for Cortron’s potential failure, and by February 2008, MacDermid had contacted three possible alternative suppliers. MacDer-mid’s concerns only deepened after it learned about the pending litigation. In July 2008 — after learning about DuPont’s lawsuit, but before the Cortron-DuPont settlement agreement was announced— MacDermid decided to switch from Cor-tron to a new manufacturer, OLEC Corporation.

Ordinarily, MacDermid would have expected Cortron to facilitate the transition by transferring to OLEC any technical information it had regarding LAVA machines.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
833 F.3d 172, 2016 U.S. App. LEXIS 14662, 2016 WL 4204795, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/macdermid-printing-solutions-llc-v-cortron-corp-ca2-2016.