In Re DROPBOX, INC. ( 2020 )


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  • Case: 20-130         Document: 18           Page: 1        Filed: 07/28/2020
    NOTE: This order is nonprecedential.
    United States Court of Appeals
    for the Federal Circuit
    ______________________
    In re: DROPBOX, INC.,
    Petitioner
    ______________________
    2020-130
    ______________________
    On Petition for Writ of Mandamus to the United States
    District Court for the Western District of Texas in No. 6:19-
    cv-00525-ADA, Judge Alan D. Albright.
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    In re: DROPBOX, INC.,
    Petitioner
    ______________________
    2020-132
    ______________________
    On Petition for Writ of Mandamus to the United States
    District Court for the Western District of Texas in No. 6:19-
    cv-00526-ADA, Judge Alan D. Albright.
    ______________________
    ON PETITION
    ______________________
    Before PROST, Chief Judge, MOORE and HUGHES, Circuit
    Judges.
    PROST, Chief Judge.
    Case: 20-130    Document: 18      Page: 2    Filed: 07/28/2020
    2                                        IN RE: DROPBOX, INC.
    ORDER
    In these related petitions arising out of patent infringe-
    ment suits brought by SynKloud Technologies, LLC
    against Dropbox, Inc., which we consider together, Dropbox
    asks this court to direct the United States District Court
    for the Western District of Texas to grant its motions to
    transfer under 28 U.S.C. § 1404(a) to the United States
    District Court for the Northern District of California.
    Dropbox contends that the district court clearly erred
    in crediting SynKloud’s assertions that Dropbox’s employ-
    ees in Austin, Texas had any relevant and material
    knowledge to the issues in this case without conducting any
    meaningful evaluation of the record and merely resolving
    any factual dispute between the parties in favor of the non-
    moving party. Dropbox further contends that the district
    court erred in weighing the court congestion factor against
    transfer and also weighing against transfer the fact that
    SynKloud brought a separate infringement action against
    Adobe involving overlapping patents asserted in one of the
    cases against Dropbox in the Western District of Texas.
    Since the district court made its determinations, this
    court has issued an order relevant to these petitions. In In
    re Adobe Inc., No. 2020-126 (Fed. Cir. ___ 2020), this court
    recently granted mandamus to direct transfer of the very
    case the district court cited as weighing against transfer.
    The court in Adobe also explained that the district court
    erred by giving the court congestion factor essentially dis-
    positive weight, particularly given that the scheduling or-
    der the district court relied on (which is the same one cited
    by the court in these cases) did not speak to court conges-
    tion.
    In light of this court’s intervening decision in Adobe, we
    decline to find that Dropbox has “no other adequate means
    to attain the relief [it] desires” without Dropbox first mov-
    ing the district court for reconsideration of its orders deny-
    ing Dropbox’s motions to transfer. Cheney v. U.S. Dist.
    Case: 20-130    Document: 18    Page: 3    Filed: 07/28/2020
    IN RE: DROPBOX, INC.                                           3
    Court for the Dist. of Columbia, 
    542 U.S. 367
    , 380 (2004)
    (internal quotation marks and citation omitted). We there-
    fore deny the petitions for a writ of mandamus. Any new
    petitions for mandamus from the district court’s rulings on
    reconsideration will be considered on their own merits.
    Accordingly,
    IT IS ORDERED THAT:
    The petitions are denied.
    FOR THE COURT
    July 28, 2020          /s/ Peter R. Marksteiner
    Date               Peter R. Marksteiner
    Clerk of Court
    s31
    

Document Info

Docket Number: 20-130

Filed Date: 7/28/2020

Precedential Status: Non-Precedential

Modified Date: 7/28/2020