GateGuard, Inc. v. Amazon.com Inc.

Background

Amazon submitted a letter-motion asking for permission to restrict public access to documents supporting its forthcoming motions to dismiss, deny class certification, and strike class claims. The request concerned documents that Amazon planned to file with a declaration by David P. Salant.

Requests

Amazon asked to file seven documents produced by GateGuard—Exhibits 15, 16, 18, 19, 20, 22, and 23—provisionally under seal. Amazon said GateGuard had identified the documents as confidential and that GateGuard could later seek permanent sealing. Amazon also requested permission to redact quotations from those documents in the publicly filed versions of its memorandum and supporting declaration.

Amazon separately requested permanent sealing of Exhibits 3 and 10, which had previously been filed under seal. The letter stated that Magistrate Judge Figueredo had granted Amazon’s earlier request to permanently seal those exhibits.

Amazon also asked to seal Exhibit 9, an installation agreement for an Amazon Key for Business device. According to the letter, the agreement included a building representative’s name, telephone number, and email address; information about the building’s number of units and lock-box security; and substantive installation-agreement terms. Amazon argued that the document contained personal information about nonparties and confidential business information whose disclosure could harm Amazon competitively.

Ruling

The document is marked “APPLICATION GRANTED” and “SO ORDERED.” Thus, the court granted Amazon’s application. The text does not include a separate discussion specifying the ruling on each individual exhibit or request. The application concerned sealing and redacting judicial filings, not the merits of the parties’ underlying dispute.