Rensselaer Polytechnic Inst. v. Amazon.com, Inc.

RENSSELAER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE and CF DYNAMIC ADVANCES LLC, Plaintiffs, v. AMAZON.COM, INC., Defendant.

1:18-CV-00549 (BKS/CFH)

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT NORTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK

August 7, 2019

Appearances:

For Plaintiffs:

ROBINS KAPLAN LLP

Bryan J. Vogel

Danielle Rosenthal

Stephanie A. Diehl

399 Park Avenue, Suite 3600

New York, NY 10022

Christopher A. Seidl

Shui Li

Mary Pheng

Taylor Moore-Willis

800 LaSalle Avenue, Suite 2800

Minneapolis, MN 55402

Christine S. Yun Sauer

Li Zhu

2440 W. El Camino Real, Suite 100

Mountain View, CA 94040

For Defendant:

KNOBBE, MARTENS, OLSON & BEAR, LLP

Joseph R. Re

Joseph S. Cianfrani

Jeremy A. Anapol

2040 Main Street, 14th Floor

Irvine, CA 92614

Colin B. Heideman

925 Fourth Avenue, Suite 2500

Seattle, WA 98104

HANCOCK ESTABROOK, LLP

John G. Powers

Paul J. Tuck

AXA Tower I, Suite 1500

100 Madison Street

Syracuse, NY 13202

Hon. Brenda K. Sannes, United States District Judge:

MEMORANDUM-DECISION AND ORDER

I. INTRODUCTION

Plaintiffs Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute ("RPI") and CF Dynamic Advances LLC ("Dynamic Advances") bring this patent infringement action to enjoin Defendant Amazon.com, Inc. ("Amazon") from continuing to use natural language processing technology protected under their asserted patent. (Dkt. No. 1). Plaintiffs seek declaratory and permanent injunctive relief, as well as treble damages. (See id. at 22-23). Arguing that venue in this District is improper under 28 U.S.C. § 1400(b), Defendant moves to transfer the action to the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington in the interest of justice under 28 U.S.C. § 1406(a). (Dkt. No. 34; Dkt. No. 34-4, at 8-15). Alternatively, if venue is proper in this District, Defendant seeks a transfer for convenience under § 1404(a). (Dkt. No. 34; Dkt. No. 34-4, at 15-19). The Court held oral argument on November 30, 2018 and granted leave for limited venue discovery. (See Dkt. No. 63, at 38-39). For the reasons set forth below, Defendant's motion to transfer is denied.

II. FACTUAL BACKGROUND¹

A. Relevant Facts About the Alleged Patent Infringement

Plaintiff RPI is the nation's oldest technological university; its main campus is located in Troy, New York. (Dkt. No. 1, ¶ 4). RPI "appl[ies] science to the common purposes of life" and "commercializes its patented inventions to the benefit of the general public." (Id.). Its "research has led to dramatic innovations in a host of technology areas," as illustrated by the several hundred patents the United States Patent and Trademark Office (the "USPTO") has granted to RPI. (Id. ¶ 33).

The patent at issue in this case, U.S. Patent No. 7,177,798, entitled "Natural Language Interface Using Constrained Intermediate Dictionary of Results" (the "Patent"), is in the field of natural language processing, a technology that allows users to input search queries or commands into computers, smart phones, and other devices by using plain or conversational language ratherthan specific terms or syntax. (Id. ¶¶ 30-31). The technology claimed in the Patent was invented by RPI professor Cheng Hsu and Veera Boonjing, a doctoral student at RPI at the time of the invention. (Id. ¶ 35). The USPTO issued the Patent to Hsu and Boonjing on February 13, 2007, and they assigned it to RPI. (Dkt. No. 1, ¶ 32). RPI "transferred all substantial rights" to the Patent to Plaintiff Dynamic Advances under an exclusive license, "including the exclusive right to sue for infringement and recover damages for all past, present and future infringement." (Dkt. No. 1, ¶ 34). Dynamic Advances "facilitates [RPI's] goal of commercializing its patented inventions to the benefit of the general public and seeks to further [RPI's] mission to apply science to the common purposes of life." (Id. ¶ 5).

Before the invention, "then-existing natural language interfaces placed severe restrictions on the syntax with which users could articulate their natural language queries." (Id. ¶ 37). Various hurdles impeded the development of "practical natural language systems"; for example, "many systems required exceedingly large collections of linguistic terms, and even then could not assure successful closure of users' natural language queries." (Id. ¶ 38). The Patent disclosed new and more efficient ways of "processing a natural language input" so as to permit users to submit queries articulated in "common speech," for example, by "creating permutations of the concepts of the query, and interpreting the query accordingly." (Id. ¶ 39). As a result, "the patented technology allows a person to verbally communicate with a computer, including through oral requests, and the computer would learn from that communication and adjust future results." (Id. ¶ 40).

According to the Complaint, certain of Defendant's products and services, including its Alexa Voice Software and Alexa-enabled devices, make use of Plaintiff's patented technology. (Id. ¶ 2). Defendant allegedly infringes the Patent "by making, using, offering to sell, selling, orimporting . . . technology that processes natural language inputs as claimed" in the Patent. (Id. ¶ 54). More specifically, Plaintiffs claim that Defendant's products infringe the Patent "by at least employing a voice-based command system that allows the user to ask questions or provide commands for performing tasks using speech." (Id. ¶ 55).

B. Relevant Facts Relating to Patent Venue

1. Whole Foods

Whole Foods Market, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Defendant, (Dkt. No. 39-9, at 8, 13), operates one store in this District located in Albany, New York, (Dkt. No. 39-5-2). Defendant's Form 10-Q for the third quarter of 2017, which presented "consolidated financial statements" for the accounts of Amazon.com, Inc., its wholly owned subsidiaries (including Whole Foods Market, Inc.), and certain other entities in which Amazon.com, Inc. had an interest, shows a revenue category labeled "Physical stores." (Dkt. No. 39-9, at 8, 21). Brian Olsavsky, Defendant's CFO, told investors in an earnings call for the third quarter of 2017 that Defendant's acquisition of Whole Foods in August of that year was visible in the financial results and was "shown actually in the new physical stores revenue component." He explained that "that's where you'll be seeing the Whole Foods revenue showing up." (Dkt. No. 39-20, at 3). Later in the call, he stated: "[T]here will be a lot of work together between Prime Now, AmazonFresh, Whole Foods, Whole Foods products on the Amazon site, Amazon Lockers at the Whole Foods stores. So, there will be a lot of integration, a lot of touch points and a lot of working together as we go forward." (Id. at 5). Plaintiffs have submitted photographs and customer receipts from the Whole Foods store in Albany that display Amazon advertising and messaging. (See Dkt. No. 39-7).

2. Future Distribution Center

According to a news article and minutes of the Town of Schodack Planning Board, Defendant has plans to set up a distribution center in that locality, (Dkt. Nos. 39-15, 39-16), which is in this District.

3. Amazon Lockers

Amazon's "businesses encompass a large variety of product types, service offerings, and delivery channels." (Dkt. No. 70-2, at 8). Through "innovative world-class technologies," Amazon operates a "global network of [fulfillment centers], delivery stations and customer service teams" to deliver packages directly to customers. (Dkt. No. 70-6, at 2). The company offers various services to ensure "reliable delivery." (Dkt. No. 70-8, at 10). For example, Amazon Prime gives subscribing customers "unlimited express two-day shipping for free." (Id.). Fulfillment by Amazon, on the other hand, allows third-party sellers to "warehouse their inventory in [Amazon's] global fulfillment network"; Amazon then "pick[s], pack[s], and ship[s] to the end customer on the sellers' behalf." (Id.). And, as relevant here, Amazon's "Locker business" offers customers that "can't always get home delivery . . . an alternate solution." (Dkt. No. 70-4, at 3, 5).

a. Locker Program

An Amazon Locker is a "fully automated kiosk for picking-up and returning Amazon packages." (Dkt. No. 70-10, at 4). Customers that buy items on Amazon.com can select a Locker location at checkout; when the item is delivered, they receive a text or email and can retrieve the package by going to the Locker location and entering or scanning a pickup code. (Id. at 5). It is a "free amenity for all Amazon customers (including non-Prime members)" and provides a "[s]ecure alternative to home delivery," an "[a]lternate shipping address when traveling," "convenience in pickup time," and "[h]assle-free returns." (Id. at 4 (emphasis omitted)).According to Courtney Judson, Amazon's program manager for the Locker program, Lockers generate transportation cost savings for Amazon and "provide a better customer experience." (Dkt. No. 70-3, at 15). Amazon promotes the Lockers to retailers as a mutually beneficial arrangement; in exchange for providing "[f]loor space" for the Lockers, vendors receive, among other things, "[i]ncremental revenue (via monthly rent)" and customer traffic. (Dkt. No. 70-10, at 8). Amazon provides "[e]quipment, installation & program management," "24/7 customer service," and "[s]ervice and repair"; in return, it receives "[c]ustomer satisfaction," "[p]hysical presence," "[i]mproved delivery success," and "[s]treamlined logistics." (Id.). According to Amazon's "Host Onboarding Kit," retailers that serve as hosts for the Lockers are not to unplug or move them. (Dkt. No. 70-23, at 11). Amazon owns all the Lockers installed at host locations, (Dkt. No. 70-3, at 9, 25, 26, 54).

Currently, Amazon has installed Lockers at three locations in this District: inside a Whole Foods in Albany, (Dkt. No. 70-26), and outside Speedway gas stations in Utica and Ithaca, (Dkt. Nos. 70-27, 70-28). The Lockers at Speedway are six feet long, seven feet high, and 27 inches deep, and they are anchored to the ground with four bolts. (Dkt. Nos. 70-27, 70-28; see Dkt. No. 70-23, ...