Global Weather Productions, LLC v. Reuters News & Media, Inc.

Background

Defendants Reuters News & Media Inc. and Thomson Reuters U.S. LLC asked for permission to file certain documents under seal and in publicly available redacted form. The request concerned materials supporting defendants’ planned motion for partial summary judgment and preclusion sanctions.

Materials at issue

The requested sealing and redactions covered:

- Exhibits containing Reuters News & Media Inc.’s proprietary customer lists; - Contracts with Stringr, Inc. and Latin America News Agency, including certain financial terms; - Deposition transcripts containing customer information and details about financial arrangements; and - Certain information in defendants’ memorandum of law, statement of facts, and other exhibits, based on requests from Global Weather Productions, LLC.

Defendants also asked for permission to file audiovisual materials relevant to Global Weather Productions, LLC’s copyright-infringement claims in hard copy on a DVD because the materials could not be filed through the court’s electronic filing system. Defendants said that disclosure of the customer lists and financial terms could benefit competitors and harm their business.

Ruling

The court stated: “The request to seal is GRANTED.” The Clerk of Court was directed to terminate the motion at docket entry 93. Regarding the audiovisual materials, Judge Arun Subramanian stated that the court preferred receiving a courtesy copy through a file-sharing service rather than another method. The opinion does not separately state a disposition granting or denying the request to file those materials on a DVD.

This was an order about access to court materials and filing procedures; it did not decide the copyright claims, the planned summary-judgment motion, or the requested sanctions.