Outlogic, LLC v. Advan Research Corporation, LLC

Background

Outlogic asked to file its summary-judgment memorandum and supporting materials in partly redacted form, with unredacted versions available only to the court and the parties. The request concerned information that Outlogic described as confidential and proprietary, including pricing information, the types and amount of data it supplies, and the identities of companies it views as competitors or with which it has chosen not to do business.

Request and reasoning presented

Outlogic argued that the materials were “judicial documents” because it wanted the court to consider them in deciding its summary-judgment motion. It described the public-access presumption—the general principle that court records should ordinarily be open to the public—and argued that the presumption was weak because the redacted information had little or no relevance to the dispute. Outlogic said disclosure could allow competitors to compete unfairly and cause competitive harm. It also proposed filing public versions with only the specified confidential information redacted.

Ruling

The court’s order states: “Application granted.” Thus, Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald granted Outlogic’s application to file the requested materials under seal. The order does not separately describe the permitted redactions or provide additional reasoning beyond granting the application.