UltimatePointer, LLC v. Nintendo Co.

73 F. Supp. 3d 1305, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 177066, 2014 WL 7340484
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Washington
DecidedDecember 22, 2014
DocketCase No. C14-0865RSL
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 73 F. Supp. 3d 1305 (UltimatePointer, LLC v. Nintendo Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. Washington primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
UltimatePointer, LLC v. Nintendo Co., 73 F. Supp. 3d 1305, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 177066, 2014 WL 7340484 (W.D. Wash. 2014).

Opinion

ORDER REGARDING PLAINTIFF’S MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT

ROBERT S. LASNIK, District Judge.

This matter comes before the Court on “Plaintiff’s Motion for Summary Judgment.” Dkt. # 487. Summary judgment is appropriate if, viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the nonmoving party, “the movant shows that there is no genuine dispute as to any material fact and the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law.” Fed.R.Civ.P. 56(a); L.A. Printex Indus., Inc. v. Aeropostale, Inc., 676 F.3d 841, 846 (9th Cir.2012). Where the party moving for summary judgment has raised an issue which, after fair and full ventilation, requires judgment in favor of the non-moving party, the district court may sua sponte enter judgment against the moving party even in the absence of a cross-motion. Albino v. Baca, 747 F.3d 1162, 1176 (9th Cir.2014); Fed.R.Civ.P. 56(f)(1).

Having reviewed the memoranda, declarations, and exhibits submitted by the parties and having heard the arguments of counsel, the Court finds as follows:

A. Invalidity Defenses

Under 35 U.S.C. § 282, the claims of an issued patent are presumed to be valid. See PharmaStem Therapeutics, Inc. v. ViaCell, Inc., 491 F.3d 1342, 1366 (Fed.Cir.2007) (acknowledging “the deference that is due to a qualified government agency presumed to have done its job”). The Federal Circuit therefore requires that an accused infringer prove invalidity by clear and convincing evidence. Creative Compounds, LLC v. Starmark Labs., 651 F.3d 1303, 1310 (Fed.Cir.2011).

1. Anticipation

“A patent claim is anticipated if each and every limitation is found in a single prior art reference.” OSRAM Sylvania, Inc. v. Am. Induction Techs., Inc., 701 F.3d 698, 704 (Fed.Cir.2012). Plaintiff argues that summary judgment regarding five of the eight prior art references relied upon by Nintendo is appropriate because Nintendo’s expert, Dr. Gregory F. Welch, acknowledges that the references lack at least one of the limitations claimed in the '321 and/or '729 patents. Using the Leichner reference as an example, Dr. Welch opines, based on the governing claim construction and his understanding of the prior art, that Leichner does not disclose a direct pointing device as required by claim 12 of the '321 patent or claims 1, 3, 5, 6, or 12 of the '729 patent. Dkt. # 509-1 at ¶¶ 162 and 178. Thus, left to his own devices, Dr. Welch would not say that Leichner anticipates those claims. In the context of this litigation, however, Dr. Welch’s opinions are offered in response to plaintiffs infringement contentions and must take those contentions into consideration in order to be useful. With regards to Leichner, UltimatePointer’s infringement contentions against the accused product suggest that it would understand Leichner as disclosing a direct pointing device. Dr. Welch posits that if that were the case, then Leichner contains the “missing” limitation and the claims asserted in this case would be anticipated.

To be clear, Dr. Welch does not believe that the Leichner reference or the accused product contain the necessary direct pointing device. But if UltimatePointer were able to convince the factfinder that the Wii does, indeed, practice a direct pointing de[1308]*1308vice as that term was construed in this litigation, then it is his opinion that the Leichner reference does too. Thus, to the extent UltimatePointer is permitted to argue that a device that estimates a point of aim based on light received from two emitters is a direct pointing device, Dr. Welch will be permitted to explain why such an application of the claim language is invalidating. The same argument applies to Dr. Welch’s opinions that the Sato reference anticipates claim 12 of the '321 patent (Dkt. # 509-1 at ¶ 168), that the Clarke reference anticipates claims 1, 3, 5, 6, and 12 of the '729 patent (Dkt. # 509-1 at ¶ 182), that the Sanbe reference anticipates claims 1, 3, 5, 6, and 12 of the '729 patent (Dkt. # 509-1 at ¶ 189), and the other Leichner-related opinions.

With regards to the Ishino reference, UltimatePointer challenges the substance of Dr. Welch’s opinion that the reference anticipates claim 12 of the '321 patent, arguing that the opinion is unsupported by the analysis in the report. In particular, UltimatePointer points out that Dr. Welch does not assert or explain how an invention used to “change the perspective of a background virtual reality space” of a video game, as disclosed in Ishino (Dkt. # 509-1 at ¶ 152), satisfies the claim requirement for controlling a cursor on a computer screen image. It is not clear why UltimatePointer insists that the perspective altering aspects of the Ishino reference must align with and satisfy the “controlling a cursor” function. Dr. Welch describes the Ishino system at ¶¶ 151-52 of his report, including target points on the screen and predetermined movements of the image in response to a hit. When asked at deposition to identify what portion of the Ishino reference discloses a controlling parameter related to the position of a cursor, Dr. Welch stated that “the image of the target point” described in Ishino or the possibility that there is “some sort of mark on the screen where the gun is pointed” could stand in for the cursor described in claim 12. There is, therefore, evidence in the record to support his anticipation opinion as to the Ishi-no reference.

2. Obviousness

For the reasons stated in the “Order Granting in Part Plaintiffs Motions in Limine,” Dr. Welch may testify regarding obviousness to the extent those opinions are based on his anticipation analysis. Although he may not testify regarding his vague and conclusory opinion that claim 12 of the '321 patent is obvious in light of the Leichner reference, the exclusion of that evidence does not warrant summary judgment in plaintiffs favor. Dr. Welch opines that a number of references invalidate claim 12 of the '321 patent: that evidence remains and precludes summary judgment.

3. Indefiniteness

A claim will be invalid for indefiniteness if it is “not amendable to construction” or is “insolubly ambiguous.” Star Scientific, Inc. v. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., 655 F.3d 1364, 1373 (Fed.Cir.2011).

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Bluebook (online)
73 F. Supp. 3d 1305, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 177066, 2014 WL 7340484, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ultimatepointer-llc-v-nintendo-co-wawd-2014.