Production of Entire iOS and watchOS Source Code Not Relevant and Proportional to Infringement of Step Counter Patent

The court denied plaintiff's motion to compel production of the entire source code for two of defendant's operating systems because plaintiff failed to establish that the additional code was relevant and proportional to the needs of the case. "⁠[Plaintiff] asks that [defendant] produce the entire source code for the iPhone/iPad’s and [Apple] Watch’s operating systems (iOS and watchOS, respectively). . . . [Plaintiff's] claims relate solely to the [patent-in-suit], a patent for a step counter. Apple iPhones, iPads, and Watches encompass hundreds or thousands of features wholly unrelated to those claims. . . . [Plaintiff] intimates that the way a code review 'usually' works is that the inspecting party’s code expert may 'look at whatever he thinks relevant.' [Plaintiff] cites no authorities for this proposition. . . . If [plaintiff] believes those particular code files are relevant and that [defendant] should produce them, and if [defendant] disagrees, the parties must meet and confer in good faith to try to resolve the dispute. . . . But [plaintiff] may not circumvent this procedure and demand that [defendant] produce all of its [operating system] source code so that [plaintiff] can 'paw[] through [defendant]’s source code without limitation.'"

Uniloc USA, Inc. et al v. Apple Inc., 4-18-cv-00362 (CAND April 30, 2018, Order) (Beeler, MJ)