WSOU Investments, LLC v. Salesforce, Inc.

District Court, D. Nevada·Decided June 23, 2023·No. 3:23-cv-00023·Unknown

Opinion

Case No.: 3:23-cv-00023-RCJ-CSD WSOU INVESTMENTS, LLC, Order Plaintiff Re: ECF No. 63, 64, 69, 71 v. SALESFORCE, INC., Defendant

Before the court is Salesforce, Inc.’s (Salesforce) motion for contempt against Orange Holdings (Orange) for failure to comply with this court’s March 2, 2023, and April 10, 2023, orders. (ECF Nos. 63, 63-1 to 63-4 (redacted), ECF Nos. 64, 64-1 to 64-9 (sealed).) Orange filed a response. (ECF Nos. 68, 70 (sealed).) Salesforce filed a reply. (ECF Nos. 76, 78 (sealed).) Also before the court is non-party Orange’s renewed motion to transfer venue and/or motion for reconsideration of denial to transfer venue. (ECF Nos. 69 (redacted) 71 (sealed).) Salesforce filed a response. (ECF Nos. 83 (redacted), 85 (sealed).) Orange filed a reply. (ECF Nos. 86 (redacted), 87 (sealed).) For the reasons set forth below, Orange’s renewed motion to transfer and/or motion for reconsideration of the denial of transfer to the Western District of Texas is denied, and Salesforce’s motion for contempt is granted in part and denied in part. WSOU Investments, LLC, is a patent holding company with 10 pending patent- infringement lawsuits against Salesforce in the Western District of Texas (W.D. Tex. Litigation). In the W.D. Tex. Litigation, Salesforce served a subpoena on Orange, a Nevada corporation. (ECF No. 5-1.) Salesforce seeks information and documents from Orange related to its license defense in the W.D. Tex. Litigation. Salesforce issued similar subpoenas to other entities affiliated with WSOU Investments: WSOU Holdings, LLC (WSOU Holdings) (ECF No. 15-1); OCO Capital Partners LP (OCO) (ECF No. 15-2); and WSOU Capital Partners LLC (WSOU

Capital) (ECF No. 15-3). Salesforce’s license defense arises from a settlement and license agreement that Salesforce entered into with Uniloc, another patent holding company founded by Craig Etchegoyen, the same individual that Salesforce asserts founded WSOU Investments, and whom they claim controls Orange. Pursuant to the settlement with Uniloc, Salesforce asserts it is entitled to a license for any past, present or future Uniloc patent. Salesforce contends that the agreement included Etchegoyen, as well as other affiliates, as part of Uniloc. Salesforce seeks to show that Etchegoyen is in control of WSOU Investments, and therefore, under the agreement with Uniloc, has the ability to license the WSOU Investments patents at issue in the W.D. Tex. Litigation. Salesforce claims that Orange is controlled by Etchegoyen, and Orange has an interest

in WSOU Investments. As such, Salesforce seeks information in discovery to understand the ownership structure and actions of Orange and the relationship between Orange and Etchegoyen and between Orange/Etchegoyen and WSOU Investments to ultimately show that WSOU Investments is controlled by Orange/Etchegoyen. (See ECF No. 39-1 at 7-16.) Salesforce sought to compel WSOU and Orange to produce this information in response to the subpoena in the W.D. Tex. Litigation. Magistrate Judge Gilliland held a hearing on December 21, 2022. (ECF No. 3-1; ECF No. 39-1.) Judge Gilliland separated the documents sought into two categories: organizational-operational agreements and funding-related agreements. (ECF No. 39-1 at 22:14-17.) WSOU Investments’ counsel said it had asked Mr. Etchegoyen if he had the organizational-operational agreements and documents for Orange. (Id. at 22:23-25, 23:1-18.) Judge Gilliland acknowledged that the release in the settlement with Uniloc was “extremely broad,” which in his view, got Salesforce “to the point where they’re entitled to

explore whether [Etchegoyen] falls within that definition for purposes of the plaintiff in this case.” (Id. at 26:4-13.) Judge Gilliland granted Salesforce’s request regarding operating agreements and required WSOU Investments to produce the Orange, WSOU Holdings, and WSOU Capital operating agreements and corporate structure governance agreements it had and could produce. (Id. at 34:20-25, 35:1.) With respect to the funding-related documents, Judge Gilliland said: “I understand the key-person argument, but that’s – I don’t think that’s somewhere we want to go just yet, so I’m going to deny the request for the funding and loan agreements.” (Id. at 35:9-12.)1 He did not think the “need for [the loan agreements was] high enough to order” their production at that time. (Id. at 35:13-17.) Judge Gilliland then addressed Salesforce’s subpoenas to third parties. He said: “since

you’ve got subpoenas to a third party, that seems more appropriate for a motion to compel wherever that needs to be appropriately filed. But that way we can get the third party before whatever court the party needs to be before.” (Id. at 46:13-19.) Orange did not participate in the December 2022 hearing before Magistrate Judge Gilliland in the W.D. Tex. Litigation, although it was given notice of the hearing. It is Orange’s

1 Salesforce was seeking funding agreements, which it believes will show WSOU Investments went to get private funding so it could engage in litigation, including against Salesforce. Salesforce contends that there is a “key man” provision in the agreements that says that Craig Etchegoyen has to be personally involved in the litigation in order for them to lend the money. They assert this will show Etchegoyen’s control over WSOU Investments, Orange and the related entities. position that it did not have ample notice of the hearing for counsel to be able to attend, and Orange was not fully apprised of the basis for the motion, i.e., Salesforce’s license defense2; and therefore, it was not prepared to participate in that hearing. (See ECF No. 15-8 at 6-7.) At the time, Orange took the position that under Rule 45, the motions had to be filed in the district

where compliance is required (in Nevada for Orange). In Orange’s counsel’s correspondence to Salesforce’s counsel, Orange stated that “Salesforce [had] not asked for, and none of the Non- Parties have provided, consent to a Rule 45(f) transfer.” In any event, Orange asserted that the decision whether to transfer the issue to W.D. Tex. had to be made by the judge where compliance is required. (Id. at 7.) When it became apprised Salesforce would be filing the motion to compel in the District of Nevada, Orange’s counsel informed Salesforce’s counsel that it would review the motion and then could discuss whether it would make sense to transfer the motions back to the W.D. Tex. (Id. at 8.) After reviewing the motion to compel, Orange’s counsel advised Salesforce that Orange intended to seek transfer of the motion to compel to W.D. Tex. (Id.)

Salesforce filed its motion to compel against Orange in this district on January 13, 2023. (ECF Nos. 1, 3, 3-1.) It filed motions to compel against WSOU Capital and WSOU Holdings in the District of Delaware (ECF No. 15-4) and against OCO in the District of Columbia. (ECF No. 15-5.) Orange filed a response to the motion to compel in this district (ECF Nos. 12, 13.13-1 to 13-9, 14, 15, 15-1 to 15-9), as well as a motion to change venue or transfer this matter to W.D. Tex. under Rule 45(f). (ECF Nos. 17, 17-1, 18, 18-1 to 18-9, 19, 19-1, 20, 20-1 to 20-9).

2 As it turns out, if Orange had attended the December 2022 W.D. Tex. hearing, Salesforce put on an entire slideshow presentation explaining its license defense. Salesforce filed a reply in support of its motion to compel (ECF Nos. 22, 22-1 to 22-8, 24, 24-1 to 24-8) and response to the motion to change venue or transfer to W.D. Tex (ECF Nos. 25, 25-1 to 25-5). Orange filed a reply in support of its motion. (ECF Nos. 36, 37, 37-1 to 37-3, 38, 38-1, 39, 39-1 to 39-3.)

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WSOU Investments, LLC v. Salesforce, Inc., (D. Nev. 2023).

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