Spectrum Dynamics Medical Limited v. General Electric Company
- Vernon Broderick
- 1:18-cv-11386
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 42
In Spectrum Dynamics Medical v. General Electric, Judge Parker granted redactions to protect competitively sensitive patent information in a hearing transcript.
Spectrum Dynamics Medical Limited, General Electric Company and the other defendants, and members of the public seeking access to the January 5, 2023, hearing transcript.
What happened
In Spectrum Dynamics Medical Limited v. General Electric Company, Spectrum asked the court to redact and seal portions of a January 5, 2023, hearing transcript. Spectrum said the transcript identified a General Electric patent that it contends contains misappropriated Spectrum trade secrets.
General Electric did not object to the request. Spectrum argued that the proposed redactions were limited and would protect competitively sensitive information, consistent with the court’s earlier redactions of similar patent information from its complaint and amendment motion.
Judge Katharine H. Parker granted the request. The January 5 transcript must include Spectrum’s proposed redactions, and the filing at ECF No. 626 may remain under seal; the clerk was directed to terminate the motions at ECF Nos. 625 and 626.
The detailed version
- Spectrum Dynamics Medical Limited v. General Electric Company · No. 1:18-cv-11386
- Vernon Broderick
- Feb. 9, 2023
Background
Spectrum Dynamics Medical Limited is the plaintiff in a patent-related dispute against General Electric Company and other defendants. The request addressed a transcript of a January 5, 2023, hearing. During that hearing, the court and counsel referred to a General Electric patent by number and other identifying information. Spectrum contended that the patent contains Spectrum trade secrets that General Electric misappropriated.
The opinion text states that Judge Vernon Broderick had previously allowed Spectrum to redact identifying information about the patent from its First Amended Complaint and its motion for leave to amend. The stated reason was Spectrum’s position that disclosure could tell competitors that its system contained features described in the patent.
Request and ruling
Under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 5.2(e), the court’s individual practice rules, and the parties’ stipulated protective order, Spectrum requested permission to redact specified portions of the January 5 transcript and file the redacted transcript under seal. Spectrum’s proposed redactions were shown in an exhibit. General Electric did not object.
Judge Katharine H. Parker granted the motion. The January 5, 2023, hearing transcript must incorporate Spectrum’s proposed redactions. The order also states that the filing at ECF No. 626 may remain under seal, and it directs the clerk to terminate the motions at ECF Nos. 625 and 626.
Scope of the decision
The order concerns access to and redaction of the hearing transcript. It does not decide whether General Electric misappropriated Spectrum’s trade secrets, whether any patent is valid, or the merits of Spectrum’s underlying claims.
Source uncertainty
The supplied case metadata identifies Vernon Broderick as the judge, but the order portion of the opinion is signed by Katharine H. Parker, who is identified as a United States Magistrate Judge. The signature date in the provided text is unreadable; February 9, 2023, is the supplied filing date.
Read the full 42-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.