Intellectual Asset Group, LLC v. Ignis Innovation Inc.

Background

Plaintiff Intellectual Asset Group, LLC (IAG) filed a letter motion asking to seal portions of two declarations and related exhibits submitted in support of its motion for default judgment. The requested materials included portions of declarations by Drew B. Hollander and Paul M. Schwartz and specified exhibits.

The filing said the materials quoted or referred to a Representation Agreement dated October 12, 2021, and a First Amendment dated April 14, 2022. IAG stated that the agreements contained a confidentiality provision and sensitive business information concerning IAG’s representation of the defendants. IAG argued that disclosure could cause competitive harm in connection with sourcing buyers and negotiating patent sales. It also stated that earlier requests had kept the complaint and the two agreements under seal.

The filing stated that Defendant 1000582825 Ontario Inc. had failed to answer or otherwise respond to the complaint and was in default. It also stated that Ignis Innovation Inc. no longer existed as an entity, according to an Ontario Ministry record and earlier court filings.

Legal standard described in the filing

The filing described the presumption that court records are publicly accessible and the court’s authority to seal records when countervailing interests, such as protection of confidential business information, outweigh the public interest in disclosure. IAG argued that its proposed redactions were narrowly limited to portions quoting the two agreements.

Ruling

The court denied the application. The Clerk of Court was respectfully directed to unseal ECF Nos. 38 and 39. The supplied endorsement does not state the court’s reasoning for denying the application.

Judge

The case metadata identifies Analisa Torres as the judge. The endorsement reproduced in the supplied text appears to bear the signature of Ona T. Wang, United States Magistrate Judge.