Plaintiff’s NPE Status No Basis for Staying Injunction Beyond Sunset Period

The court denied defendant's motion to stay an injunction past the sunset period because defendant did not establish a likelihood of success on appeal, irreparable injury, an injury to a third party, or harm to the public interest. "[Defendant] questions the significance of [plaintiff's] harm when it does not practice the [patent-in-suit] and in fact purchased the patent only after this litigation was launched. . . . [Defendant's] arguments take no account of the fundamental nature of the right at issue: the right to exclude. . . No matter [plaintiff's] lack of practice of the patent or when [plaintiff] acquired it, [defendant's] ongoing infringement denies . . . [plaintiff's] right to exclude competitors from practicing the [patent-in-suit's] claims. While perhaps less well-remembered than its criticism of the Federal Circuit, [eBay Inc. v. MercExchange, L.L.C., 547 U.S. 338, 392 (2006)]'s criticism of the district court’s seeming reliance on such distinctions was just as pronounced. . . . Put another way, whether for Thomas Edison and his light bulb patents or [plaintiff] and its off-the-shelf purchase, the exclusive rights under 35 U.S.C. § 271 are the same; that period of exclusivity never comes back."

Accessories Marketing, Inc. v. Tek Corporation, 5-11-cv-00774 (CAND October 13, 2014, Order) (Grewal, M.J.)