Superspeed, L.L.C. v. Google, Inc.

64 F. Supp. 3d 987, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 168570, 2014 WL 6900828
Procedural entryThis page is a short order in Superspeed, L.L.C. v. Google, Inc.. Read the opinion of the Court — 2 F. Supp. 3d 952
District Court, S.D. Texas·Decided December 5, 2014·No. Civil Action No. H-12-1688·Published

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER

SIM LAKE, District Judge.

This is a patent infringement suit filed by SuperSpeed, L.L.C. (“SuperSpeed”) against Google, Inc. (“Google”), involving United States Patent Nos. 5,577,226 (“'226 Patent”) and 5,918,244 (“'244 Patent”). The '226 Patent is the parent application to the '244 Patent, and both patents claim priority to U.S. Application No. 08/238,815, filed on May 6, 1994. Pending before the court are SuperSpeed’s Motion to Strike Portions of Kubiatowicz Expert Report Referring to Undisclosed Invalidity Allegations (Docket Entry No. 160), Defendant Google Ine.’s Motion to Exclude Testimony of SuperSpeed, LLC’s Expert Robert Mills (Docket Entry No. 163), and Defendant Google Ine.’s Motion for Summary Judgment in Support of Invalidity, Non-Infringement, and No Willful Infringement (Docket Entry No. 164). For the reasons stated below, Google’s motion for summáry judgment will be denied as to invalidity and granted as to non-infringement and willful infringement, SuperSpeed’s motion to strike and Google’s motion to exclude will both be denied as moot.

I. Allegations of Infringement

The SuperSpeed ' patents relate to a method and system for caching I/O devices across a network embodied in a software product known as “SuperCache Vl.3-01 through V2.1-27.”1 SuperSpeed alleges that Google infringes thirteen claims from the two patents:

• Patent No. 5,577,226: claims 27 & 30-33;
• Patent No. 5,918,244: claims 15, 20-21, 25-26, & 31-33.2

SuperSpeed alleges that Google infringes these claims both literally and under the doctrine of equivalents “by making, using, selling, importing, and/or offering to sell within the United States several infringing products, including several Google apps and their constituents, including but not limited to Google Docs, Google Sheets, Google Slides and Google Drive.”3 Super-Speed also alleges that Google is infringing these patents “by actively inducing the infringement of others.”4 Both Super-Speed patents have been the subject of prior litigation: SuperSpeed v. Oracle Corporation, 4:04-cv-3409, in this district, and SuperSpeed v. IBM Corporation, 2:07-cv-89, in the Eastern District of Texas.

II. Google’s Motion for Summary Judgment

Google argues that it is entitled to summary judgment on SuperSpeed’s claims for three reasons: (1) the patents are invalid because EEC Systems, Inc. (“EEC”), the original assignee of the '226 and '244 Patents and SuperSpeed’s predecessor in interest, offered for sale and then sold Su-[990] perCaehe to Pittsburgh National Bank (“PNC Bank”) on March 8, 1993, more than one year before May 6, .1994, the claimed priority date for both patents-in-suit; (2) SuperSpeed is unable to set forth evidence showing that the allegedly infringing products practice three limitations found in all of the asserted claims; and (3) SuperSpeed is unable to present evidence showing that any infringement was willful.5 SuperSpeed has responded with evidence refuting Google’s first two grounds for summary judgment, but has neither argued nor submitted evidence refuting Google’s argument that any infringement was not willful.6

A. Standard of Review

Summary judgment is authorized if the movant establishes that there is no genuine dispute about any material fact and the law entitles it to judgment. Fed.R.Civ.P. 56(c). Disputes about material facts are “genuine” if the evidence is such that a reasonable jury could return a verdict for the nonmoving party. Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 106 S.Ct. 2505, 2510, 91 L.Ed.2d 202 (1986). The Supreme Court has interpreted the plain language of Rule 56(c) to mandate the entry of summary judgment “after adequate time for discovery and upon motion, against a party who fails to make a showing sufficient to establish the existence of an element essential to that party’s case, and on which that party will bear the burden of proof at trial.” Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 106 S.Ct. 2548, 2552, 91 L.Ed.2d 265 (1986). A party moving for summary judgment “must ‘demonstrate the absence of a genuine issue of material fact,’ but need not negate the elements of the nonmovant’s case.” Little v. Liquid Air Corp., 37 F.3d 1069, 1075 (5th Cir.1994) (en banc) (quoting Celotex, 106 S.Ct. at 2553). If the moving party meets this burden, Rule 56(c) requires the nonmovant to go beyond the pleadings and show by affidavits, depositions, answers to interrogatories, admissions on file, or other admissible evidence that facts exist over which there is a genuine issue for trial. Id. See Bellard v. Gautreaux, 675 F.3d 454, 460 (5th Cir.2012) (“[T]he evidence proffered by the plaintiff to satisfy his burden of proof must be competent and admissible at trial”). “[T]he nonmoving party’s burden is not affected by the type of case; summary judgment is appropriate in any case ‘where critical evidence is so weak or tenuous on an essential fact that it could not support a judgment in favor of the nonmovant.’ ” Little, 37 F.3d at 1075 (quoting Armstrong v. City of Dallas, 997 F.2d 62, 67 (5th Cir.1993)).

A party opposing summary judgment must point to an evidentiary conflict in the record. Factual controversies are to be resolved in favor of the nonmovant, “but only when ... both parties have submitted evidence of contradictory facts.” Little, 37 F.3d at 1075. In reviewing the evidence “the court must draw all reasonable inferences in favor of the nonmoving party, and it may not make credibility determinations or weigh the evidence.” Reeves v. Sanderson Plumbing Products, Inc., 530 U.S. 133, 120 S.Ct. 2097, 2110, 147 L.Ed.2d 105 (2000).’ Nevertheless, expert declarations that are wholly conclusory — devoid of facts upon which the declarant’s conclusions were reached—will not suffice to create [991] fact issues for trial. TechSearch, L.L.C. v. Intel Corp., 286 F.3d 1360, 1372 (Fed.Cir.2002) (“general assertions of facts, general denials, and conclusory statements are insufficient to shoulder the non-movant’s burden”).

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Superspeed, L.L.C. v. Google, Inc., 64 F. Supp. 3d 987, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 168570, 2014 WL 6900828 (S.D. Tex. 2014).

64 F. Supp. 3d 987 (Superspeed, L.L.C. v. Google, Inc.) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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