Panini America, Inc. v. Fanatics, Inc. et al.

Background

Fanatics asked for permission to file under seal unredacted versions of the parties’ forthcoming letters, including response letters, concerning issues scheduled for an October 9, 2025 discovery conference. The request concerned portions of the letters that would address Panini’s requests for documents related to a confidential, closed proceeding involving a non-party.

Arguments About Sealing

Fanatics stated that the proceeding’s subject matter was not public knowledge and could not be publicly disclosed without the non-party’s written consent, which had not been sought or obtained. Fanatics argued that these circumstances established good cause to overcome the presumption that judicial documents should be publicly accessible. Fanatics also stated that it had conferred with Panini and understood that Panini did not oppose sealing.

The filing cited Second Circuit and Southern District of New York authority concerning the balance between public access and competing privacy interests, including protection for sensitive business information. The opinion text provided does not include a separate explanation of the court’s reasoning beyond the endorsement granting the motion.

Ruling

The motion to seal was granted. The Clerk of Court was directed to terminate the motion at ECF No. 212. Under the stated filing procedure, the parties were to submit proposed sealed versions of their letters through the court’s electronic filing system and redacted versions on the public docket.