Japna, Inc. v. Selfx Innovations Inc.
- Andrew Carter
- 1:22-cv-10753
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 2
In Japna v. Selfx, Judge Carter granted JAPNA’s motion to seal documents containing commercially sensitive or trade-secret information and directed the clerk to terminate ECF No. 88.
JAPNA, Inc. and members of the public seeking access to the specified court filings.
What happened
Japna, Inc. v. Selfx Innovations Inc. involved JAPNA’s request to restrict public access to portions of filings in the case. The requested materials included an opposition memorandum, a declaration, and several exhibits.
JAPNA said the materials contained commercially sensitive information and trade secrets. It planned to file redacted or partially redacted versions publicly while placing the specified materials or portions of them under seal.
The court granted the motion to seal and directed the clerk to terminate ECF No. 88. Judge Andrew L. Carter, Jr. entered the order on August 18, 2023.
The detailed version
- Japna, Inc. v. Selfx Innovations Inc. · No. 1:22-cv-10753
- Andrew Carter
- Aug. 18, 2023
Background
JAPNA asked the court to seal confidential information in three sets of filings: its opposition to defendants’ motion to dismiss, the declaration of Tanu Singh dated August 16, 2023, and Exhibits 1, 2, 5, and 6, or portions of those exhibits. JAPNA stated that it would file redacted or partially redacted versions of the documents on the public docket.
The request said the redactions were limited to commercially sensitive information and trade-secret information that JAPNA believed needed protection. The filing also stated that JAPNA had circulated a proposed protective order to counsel who had appeared in the action and had received comments from counsel for Selfx Innovations Inc.
Legal standard
The court recognized a presumptive right of public access to judicial documents, but explained that the right is not absolute. It identified the required analysis as determining whether the material is a judicial document, weighing the presumption of public access, and considering whether competing interests or higher values outweigh that presumption.
Ruling
The court granted JAPNA’s motion to seal. The order stated that the proposed sealed documents were filed with restricted viewing and directed the Clerk of Court to terminate ECF No. 88. Judge Andrew L. Carter, Jr. signed the order.
Scope of the ruling
The opinion text provided is an order on sealing access to specified filings. It does not decide the parties’ underlying claims or the defendants’ motion to dismiss.
Read the full 2-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.