AGIS Software Development LLC v. Google LLC

Background

The court considered defendants’ administrative motion to seal exhibits attached to their reply in support of their motion for summary judgment. The exhibits contained information about product design, development, operation, testing, and internal functionality, as well as business decision-making and pricing models. Defendants stated that they did not publicly disclose this information and that disclosure could give competitors an unfair business advantage.

Legal standard

Judicial records and filings connected more than tangentially to the merits of a case may be sealed only for “compelling reasons.” Because the motion concerned briefing on a motion for summary judgment, the court applied that standard. The court also considered the requirements of Civil Local Rule 79-5, including that sealing requests be supported, narrowly tailored, and limited to material that qualifies for protection.

Ruling

The court found that the identified material contained confidential business information, including internal product development and functionality, pricing models, assessments of competitors’ products, and internal development timelines. The court determined that disclosure would cause competitive harm and granted the motion.

The ruling covered highlighted portions of Document Bates-labeled WAZE-AGIS00026406-26420, specifically pages ending in -26408 through -26420, and highlighted portions of Document Bates-labeled WAZE-AGIS00028148-28152, specifically pages ending in -28148 through -28152. Defendants were ordered to file public versions of the documents with the permitted redactions by September 4, 2023.