SB IP Holdings LLC v. Vivint, Inc.

District Court, E.D. Texas·Decided October 10, 2023·No. 4:20-cv-00886·Unknown

Opinion

United States District Court EASTERN DISTRICT OF TEXAS SHERMAN DIVISION

SB IP HOLDINGS, LLC, § Plaintiff, § v. § Civil Action No. 4:20-cv-00886 § Judge Mazzant VIVINT, INC., § Defendant. § § §

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER Pending before the Court are Defendant Vivint, Inc.’s Daubert Motion to Exclude the Unreliable Opinions of Plaintiff’s Expert, Dr. Robert Akl (Dkt. #250); Plaintiff’s Motion to Exclude Portions of Dr. Kevin C. Almeroth’s Testimony (Dkt. #257); Defendant Vivint, Inc.’s Daubert Motion to Exclude the Unreliable Opinions of Plaintiff’s Expert, David Leathers (Dkt. #259); Plaintiff’s Motion to Exclude Portions of Dr. Kevin C. Almeroth’s Testimony Regarding Non-Infringement (Dkt. #271); and Plaintiff’s Daubert Motion to Strike the Unreliable Expert Opinions of Clarke B. Nelson (Dkt. #281). Having considered the motions and the relevant pleadings, the Court finds that: (1) Defendant Vivint, Inc.’s Daubert Motion to Exclude the Unreliable Opinions of Plaintiff’s Expert, Dr. Robert Akl (Dkt. #250) should be GRANTED in part; (2) Plaintiff’s Motion to Exclude Portions of Dr. Kevin C. Almeroth’s Testimony (Dkt. #257) should be GRANTED in part; (3) Defendant Vivint, Inc.’s Daubert Motion to Exclude the Unreliable Opinions of Plaintiff’s Expert, David Leathers (Dkt. #259) should be GRANTED in part; (4) Plaintiff’s Motion to Exclude Portions of Dr. Kevin C. Almeroth’s Testimony Regarding Non-Infringement (Dkt. #271) should be GRANTED in part; and (5) Plaintiff’s Daubert Motion to Strike the Unreliable Expert Opinions of Clarke B. Nelson (Dkt. #281) should be GRANTED in part. BACKGROUND

Plaintiff SB IP Holdings, LLC (“SB IP”) accuses Defendant Vivint, Inc. (“Vivint”) of infringement of the following patents and claims: claims 1, 8, 10, and 16 of U.S. Patent No. 9,485,478 (“the ’478 Patent”); claim 1 of the U.S. Patent No. 9,635,323 (“the ’323 Patent”); and claims 1, 5, 11, 16, and 17 of U.S. Patent No. 10,674,120 (“the ’120 Patent”) (collectively, the “Asserted Patents” and the “Asserted Claims”) (Dkt. #275 at p. 6). SB IP moves to exclude opinions of Vivint’s technical expert, Dr. Kevin C. Almeroth

(Dkt. #257; Dkt. #271), and Vivint’s damages expert, Mr. Clarke B. Nelson (Dkt. #281). Vivint moves to exclude opinions of SB IP’s technical expert, Dr. Robert Akl (Dkt. #250), and SB IP’s damages expert, Mr. David Leathers (Dkt. #259). LEGAL STANDARD Federal Rule of Evidence 702 provides for the admission of expert testimony that assists the trier of fact to understand the evidence or to determine a fact in issue. FED. R. EVID. 702. In Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, Inc., the Supreme Court instructed courts to function as

gatekeepers and determine whether expert testimony should be presented to the jury. 509 U.S. 579, 590–93 (1993). Courts act as gatekeepers of expert testimony “to make certain that an expert, whether basing testimony upon professional studies or personal experience, employs in the courtroom the same level of intellectual rigor that characterizes the practice of an expert in the relevant field.” Kuhmo Tire Co. v. Carmichael, 526 U.S. 137, 152 (1999). The party offering the expert’s testimony has the burden to prove that: (1) the expert is qualified; (2) the testimony is relevant to an issue in the case; and (3) the testimony is reliable. Daubert, 509 U.S. at 590–91. A proffered expert witness is qualified to testify by virtue of his or

her “knowledge, skill, experience, training, or education.” FED. R. EVID. 702. Moreover, to be admissible, expert testimony must be “not only relevant but reliable.” Daubert, 509 U.S. at 589. “This gate-keeping obligation applies to all types of expert testimony, not just scientific testimony.” Pipitone v. Biomatrix, Inc., 288 F.3d 239, 244 (5th Cir. 2002) (citing Kuhmo, 526 U.S. at 147). In deciding whether to admit or exclude expert testimony, the Court should consider

numerous factors. Daubert, 509 U.S. at 594. In Daubert, the Supreme Court offered the following, non-exclusive list of factors that courts may use when evaluating the reliability of expert testimony: (1) whether the expert’s theory or technique can be or has been tested; (2) whether the theory or technique has been subjected to peer review and publication; (3) the known or potential rate of error of the challenged method; and (4) whether the theory or technique is generally accepted in the relevant scientific community. Id. at 593–94; Pipitone, 288 F.3d at 244. When evaluating Daubert challenges, courts focus “on [the experts’] principles and methodology, not on the

conclusions that [the experts] generate.” Daubert, 509 U.S. at 595. The Daubert factors are not “a definitive checklist or test.” Id. at 593. As the Supreme Court has emphasized, the Daubert framework is “a flexible one.” Id. at 594. The test for determining reliability can adapt to the particular circumstances underlying the testimony at issue. Kuhmo, 526 U.S. at 152. Accordingly, the decision to allow or exclude experts from testifying under Daubert is committed to the sound discretion of the district court. St. Martin v. Mobil Expl. & Producing U.S., Inc., 224 F.3d 402, 405 (5th Cir. 2000) (citations omitted). ANALYSIS

I. Vivint’s Motion to Exclude Dr. Akl Vivint moves to exclude Dr. Akl for four reasons: (1) his technical apportionment analysis does not differentiate between conventional and patented features of the Asserted Claims (Dkt. #250 at p. 8); (2) he summarizes Vivint’s surveys without analysis (Dkt. #250 at p. 10); (3) he analyzes Vivint’s cross-license with Alarm.com without acknowledging differences between Alarm.com’s Patents and the Asserted Patents (Dkt. #250 at p. 11); and (4) he does not use the

Court’s construction of “proximity sensor” properly (Dkt. #250 at p. 14). A. Dr. Akl’s Technical Apportionment Analysis Vivint asserts that Dr. Akl’s technical apportionment analysis “fails to distinguish between the conventional and non-conventional aspects of the Asserted Claims” (Dkt. #250 at p. 6). Vivint contends that paragraphs 166–243 of Dr. Akl’s report are unreliable because of this lack of distinction (Dkt. #250 at p. 8). According to Vivint, the Federal Circuit’s precedent in Exmark Manufacturing Co. Inc. v. Briggs & Stratton Power Products Group, LLC, 879 F.3d 1332 (Fed. Cir.

2018) requires experts to “distinguish between the patented improvement and the conventional components of a multicomponent product” (Dkt. #250 at p. 9 (citing Exmark, 879 F.3d at 1347– 48)). In response, SB IP argues that Dr. Akl’s analysis falls within appropriate bounds because he followed a “well recognized and approved method” and “determined an appropriate percentage based on features implicated by the [A]sserted [P]atents” (Dkt. #314 at p. 8). SB IP challenges Vivint’s assertions by claiming “Vivint cites to no authority that apportionment must exclude conventional components included in the claims of the patented invention” (Dkt. #314 at p. 8). SB IP also notes that “[a]pportionment opinions should not be struck ‘based on erroneous

attribution to non-accused features’ because ‘the Defendant will have the opportunity to cross- examine [Dr. Akl] at trial” (Dkt. #314 at p. 8 (quoting Osseo Imaging, LLC v. Planmeca USA Inc., CA. No.

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SB IP Holdings LLC v. Vivint, Inc., (E.D. Tex. 2023).

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