Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request, 28715-28729 [2014-11484]
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Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 96 / Monday, May 19, 2014 / Notices
Federal Communications Commission.
Marlene H. Dortch,
Secretary, Office of the Secretary, Office of
Managing Director.
[FR Doc. 2014–11494 Filed 5–16–14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712–01–P
FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM
Change in Bank Control Notices;
Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or
Bank Holding Company
The notificants listed below have
applied under the Change in Bank
Control Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)) and
§ 225.41 of the Board’s Regulation Y (12
CFR 225.41) to acquire shares of a bank
or bank holding company. The factors
that are considered in acting on the
notices are set forth in paragraph 7 of
the Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)(7)).
The notices are available for
immediate inspection at the Federal
Reserve Bank indicated. The notices
also will be available for inspection at
the offices of the Board of Governors.
Interested persons may express their
views in writing to the Reserve Bank
indicated for that notice or to the offices
of the Board of Governors. Comments
must be received not later than June 3,
2014.
A. Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago
(Colette A. Fried, Assistant Vice
President) 230 South LaSalle Street,
Chicago, Illinois 60690–1414:
1. Elizabeth L. Celio, Oak Park,
Illinois, individually, and as part of the
Lumpkin Family Control Group, and
three trusts established for the benefit of
minors, with Steven L. Grissom, as
trustee of the trusts, all of Mattoon,
Illinois, to join the existing Lumpkin
Family Control Group; to acquire voting
shares of First Mid-Illinois Bancshares,
Inc., and thereby indirectly acquire
voting shares of First Mid-Illinois Bank
& Trust, National Association, both in
Mattoon, Illinois.
Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve
System, May 14, 2014.
Michael J. Lewandowski,
Associate Secretary of the Board.
[FR Doc. 2014–11471 Filed 5–16–14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6210–01–P
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FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION
Agency Information Collection
Activities; Submission for OMB
Review; Comment Request
Federal Trade Commission
(‘‘FTC’’ or ‘‘Commission’’).
ACTION: Notice; request for comments.
AGENCY:
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The FTC proposes to collect
information about Patent Assertion
Entity (‘‘PAE’’) organization, structure,
economic relationships, and activity,
including acquisition, assertion,
litigation, and licensing practices. This
is the second of two Federal Register
Notices required by the Paperwork
Reduction Act (‘‘PRA’’). Last year, the
FTC published a Federal Register
Notice (‘‘First Notice’’) and received
public comments on its proposal.
Through this Second Notice, the
Commission seeks additional public
comments on, and Office of
Management and Budget (‘‘OMB’’)
review and approval of, the revised
proposed collection of information
discussed in this Notice.
SUMMARY:
Comments must be received on
or before June 18, 2014.
DATES:
Interested parties may file a
comment online or on paper, by
following the instructions in the
Request for Comment sub-section of the
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section
below. Write ‘‘PAE Reports: Paperwork
Comment; Project No. P131203’’ on your
comment, and file your comment online
at https://ftcpublic.commentworks.com/
ftc/paestudypra2, by following the
instructions on the web-based form. If
you prefer to file your comment on
paper, mail your comment to the
following address: Federal Trade
Commission, Office of the Secretary,
600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW., Suite
CC–5610, (Annex J), Washington, DC
20580, or deliver your comment to the
following address: Federal Trade
Commission, Office of the Secretary,
Constitution Center, 400 7th Street SW.,
5th Floor, Suite 5610, (Annex J),
Washington, DC 20024.
Comments on the proposed collection
of information should also be submitted
to OMB. If sent by U.S. mail, they
should be addressed to Office of
Information and Regulatory Affairs,
Office of Management and Budget,
Attention: Desk Officer for the Federal
Trade Commission, New Executive
Office Building, Docket Library, Room
10102, 725 17th Street NW.,
Washington, DC 20503. Comments sent
to OMB by U.S. postal mail, however,
are subject to delays due to heightened
security precautions. Thus, comments
instead should be sent by facsimile to
(202) 395–5167.
ADDRESSES:
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Requests for additional information
should be addressed to Suzanne Munck,
Chief Counsel for Intellectual Property
and Deputy Director, Office of Policy
Planning, Federal Trade Commission,
600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW.,
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Washington, DC 20580; (202) 326–2429;
paestudy@ftc.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
proposed collection of information is
necessary to study the likely
competitive effects of PAE activity.
PAEs are firms with a business model
based primarily on purchasing patents
and then attempting to generate revenue
by litigating against, or licensing to,
persons who are already practicing the
patented technology. Currently, the
public record of PAE activity focuses on
publicly-available litigation data.
Litigation, however, is only part of the
picture. PAE activity encompasses a
wide range of non-public behavior
related to acquisition and licensing
practices, together with structural issues
related to organization and economic
relationships. Data analyzing this
behavior is not available through the
public record and it is not available
from a single private source.
Members of Congress support the
FTC’s proposed study. Urging the
Commission, ‘‘to address the abusive
practices of patent assertion entities
(PAEs) that are a drag on innovation,
competition, and our economy,’’
Senator Klobuchar ‘‘appreciate[s]
Chairwoman Ramirez’s intention to ask
the full Commission to commence a
study under Section 6(b) of the Federal
Trade Commission (FTC Act).’’
Representative Lipinski ‘‘strongly
urge[s] the FTC to follow through with
[a Section 6(b) study of PAE activity],’’
and Representative Murphy ‘‘looks
forward to reviewing the results of [the
FTC’s] inquiry.’’
PAE activity is a growing issue for the
United States. For example, last June,
the Executive Office of the President
reported that ‘‘suits brought by PAEs
have tripled in just the last two years,
rising from 29 percent of all
infringement suits to 62 percent of all
infringement suits,’’ and this activity
may have ‘‘a negative impact on
innovation and economic growth.’’ In
February of this year, the President
renewed his call for legislation to
combat abusive PAE practices, and
several bills are pending in Congress
addressing reforms directed toward PAE
activity.
The Commission has studied PAE
activity for several years, and its
research points to the need for an
empirical record addressing non-public
PAE activity. The Commission first
discussed the rise of the PAE business
model in its 2011 Report, ‘‘The Evolving
IP Marketplace: Aligning Patent Notice
and Remedies with Competition.’’ In
that report, the Commission defined a
PAE as a firm with a business model
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focused primarily on purchasing and
asserting patents, typically against
operating companies with products
currently on the market. On December
10, 2012, the Commission and the
Antitrust Division of the United States
Department of Justice (DOJ) jointly
sponsored a workshop to explore the
claimed harms and efficiencies of PAE
activity, and the impact of PAE activity
on innovation and competition more
broadly.
Workshop panelists and commenters
associated with the 2011 Report and the
2012 workshop provided anecdotal
evidence of potential harms and
efficiencies of PAE activity. These
participants stressed the lack of
comprehensive empirical evidence, and
urged the Federal Trade Commission
use its Section 6(b) to collect
information on PAE acquisition,
litigation, and licensing practices.
Respondents to the Commission’s first
Federal Register Notice announcing the
study likewise stressed the need for
Commission research in this area.
The Government Accountability
Office (GAO) has also recognized
deficiencies in the existing record of
non-public PAE activity. As part of the
America Invents Act, Congress directed
GAO to study the costs, benefits, and
economic impact of PAE litigation, and
to make policy recommendations. GAO
issued its report on August 22, 2013. It
found that over the period 2007 to 2011,
the share of all patent lawsuits
accounted for by PAEs rose from 17
percent to 24 percent, and that suits by
PAEs included about twice as many
defendants as suits by manufacturing
companies. GAO, however, emphasized
several data deficiencies that limited its
ability to examine the issues identified
by Congress. First, although it reported
that patent assertions frequently do not
result in litigation, GAO could not
obtain reliable data on such assertions.
Second, GAO could not collect
information on litigation costs from
court records or the sample data, nor
obtain information on the settlements
that resolve most cases.
Responding to these requests, and
recognizing its own role in competition
policy and advocacy, the Commission
proposes a Section 6(b) study that will
provide a better understanding of the
organizational structure and economic
relationships of PAEs, as well as their
activity and associated costs and
benefits. The Commission will use the
study to publish a report describing
non-public PAE activity that would
otherwise not be available.
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I. Public Comments/Consultation
Outside the Agency and Actions Taken
On October 3, 2013, the FTC
published the First Notice soliciting
public comments on this study of PAE
activity. The FTC received 70 public
comments from a wide range of parties
including individuals, firms, and trade
associations. The majority of
commenters expressed support for the
goals of the FTC’s study and recognized
that the data necessary to understand
the scope and economic implications of
PAE activity is not currently available.
Consistent with the December 2012
workshop comments, some respondents
focused on the possible harms of PAE
activity, whereas others focused on the
possible efficiencies of PAE models.
Many commenters stated that the
benefits of the study would outweigh
the costs to subjects of compliance.
Commenters, however, did not agree on
the precise financial burden the study
would impose. Some stated that the
FTC’s initial burden estimates were
accurate, whereas others suggested that
the estimates were too low. The FTC has
addressed these comments in its revised
estimates of financial burden.
Some commenters expressed
confusion regarding the questions
directed to PAEs and the questions
directed to manufacturers and NPEs.
The FTC clarifies that the study will
consist of two parts. The primary focus
of the study consists of a descriptive
examination of the PAE business model.
The second part is a narrowly focused
comparative case study of PAE activity
in the wireless communications sector.
Consequently, the FTC separated the
questions addressed to PAEs from the
questions addressed to manufacturers
and NPEs.
In the original information requests,
the Commission requested production
of all documents in many categories,
such as a PAE’s internal patent
valuations, assertion strategy
documents, communications with
targets of assertion, and analyses of
patent portfolios. Several commenters
suggested that an ‘‘all documents’’
request would result in voluminous and
duplicative information. In response,
the revised requests focus on
agreements and on strategic documents
provided to officers and directors or
shared with persons outside the firm.
The original requests also required
subjects to identify patents subject to
commitments such as licensing and
standard-setting declarations.
Commenters suggested that these
requests may be unduly burdensome
when the firm has made commitments
on a field of use or subject matter
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basis—without identifying specific
patent numbers. Commenters also
suggested that the original requests may
require respondents to conduct legal
research to determine whether specific
patents are subject to broad
commitments. To address these
comments, the FTC will ask
respondents to describe the
commitments as they have been
declared to standard-setting
organizations and third parties.
In response to additional comments
addressing burden, the FTC has
modified some of the defined terms and
refined the information requests to more
accurately target information that is
most likely to be important for the
study. The FTC also has revised the date
range of the information requests from
the period beginning January 1, 2008 to
the period beginning January 1, 2009.
Finally, the Commission worked with
the United States Patent and Trademark
Office (USPTO) to collect USPTO’s
publicly available data. Wherever
practical, to reduce respondents’
burden, the FTC will not ask for
responses that are publicly available
through the USPTO.
II. Description of the Collection of
Information and Proposed Use
The proposed study will add
significantly to the existing literature
and evidence about PAE form, structure,
organization, and behavior. Earlier
studies have focused primarily on
publicly-available litigation data and
concluded that PAE litigation activity is
on the rise. The Commission, however,
has unique Congressional authority to
collect nonpublic information, such as
licensing agreements, patent acquisition
information, and cost and revenue data,
that will provide a more complete
picture of PAE activity.
Because the Commission believes a
more detailed study will enhance the
quality of the policy debate surrounding
PAE activity, it proposes information
requests directed to answering the
following questions:
• How do PAEs organize their
corporate legal structure, including
parents, subsidiaries, and affiliates?
• What types of patents do PAEs hold
and how do they organize their
holdings?
• How do PAEs acquire patents; who
are the prior patent owners; and how do
they compensate prior patent owners?
• How do PAEs engage in assertion
activity (i.e., how do they behave with
respect to demands, litigation, and
licensing)?
• What does assertion activity cost
PAEs?
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• What do PAEs earn through
assertion activity? and
• How does PAE patent assertion
behavior compare to that of other
entities that assert patents?
The FTC’s study will consist of two
parts. The primary focus of the study
consists of a broad descriptive
examination of the PAE business model.
The second part is a narrowly focused
comparative case study of patent
assertion activity in the wireless
communications sector. The
information requests for each part are
identified below.
For the broad analysis, the FTC
proposes sending information requests
to approximately 25 PAEs that use
different organizational models and
assertion strategies. For instance, the
proposed requests seek information on
the composition of PAE portfolios
(information such as the age and field of
patents); whether any patents are
essential to any standards or
encumbered by other licensing
obligations; the costs of acquiring
patents, as well as whether the PAEs
share an economic interest in their
portfolios with other entities. The
requests also seek information about
assertion activity, such as licensing and
litigation activity, and the costs from
assertion.
The second part of the study
compares how PAEs, manufacturing
firms and NPEs assert intellectual
property in the wireless
communications sector. For example,
the FTC seeks to explore whether the
potential for countersuit against
manufacturing firms changes their
respective assertion behavior relative to
PAE firms. While some commenters
suggested expanding the scope of the
comparative case study, the FTC
proposes limiting that case study to the
wireless communications sector because
that sector is relatively well-defined
with a significant amount of assertion
activity by PAEs, manufacturing firms,
and NPEs. This limitation also permits
the FTC to achieve its goal of
performing a comparative analysis of
assertion behavior without imposing an
undue burden on study subjects. The
FTC proposes sending information
requests to approximately 15
manufacturing firms and NPEs asserting
patents in this sector.
Definitions and Instructions
The following definitions and
instructions apply to all Information
Requests:
‘‘Acquire’’ and ‘‘Acquisition’’ mean to
purchase or obtain from another Person
any Legal Right to a Patent, or to
purchase or obtain a Person who Holds
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any Legal Right to a Patent. This
definition does not include the
assignment of Legal Rights to a Patent
by a Firm employee who is bound to
assign his or her Legal Rights to the
Firm at the time of invention.
‘‘Assert’’ and ‘‘Assertion’’ mean: (i)
Any Demand; (ii) any civil action
threatened or commenced (by the Firm
or other Person) relating to any Patent;
or (iii) any investigation pursuant to 19
U.S.C. 1337 threatened or initiated (by
the Firm or other Person) relating to any
Patent. For Manufacturing Firms,
‘‘Assert’’ and ‘‘Asserted’’ do not include
sales of products manufactured by the
Firm, or on behalf of the Firm, that
practice the claimed invention.
‘‘Class’’ and ‘‘Subclass’’ have the
meanings defined by the United States
Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
‘‘Demand’’ means any effort since
January 1, 2009 to License any Patent,
in whole or in part, and any other
attempt to generate revenue by
authorizing a Person outside the Firm to
practice an invention claimed in a
Patent. Demand does not include
complaints or pleadings filed with a
United States District Court or the
United States International Trade
Commission.
‘‘Documents’’ means all electronically
stored information, and written,
recorded, and graphic materials of every
kind in the possession, custody, or
control of the Firm. Unless otherwise
specified, the term ‘‘Documents’’
excludes: (i) Bills of lading, invoices,
purchase orders, customs declarations,
and other similar documents of a purely
transactional nature; (ii) architectural
plans and engineering blueprints; and
(iii) documents solely relating to
environmental, human resources,
OSHA, or ERISA compliance.
‘‘Economic Interest’’ means any right
or claim to current or future revenues
derived from a Patent, including, but
not limited to: Lump-sum payments;
royalties; access to other Patent(s) as
part of a cross-Licensing agreement; a
debt or equity interest in a Person that
Asserts Patents; use of the Firm’s Legal
Rights to any Patent as collateral for a
Person’s loan or investment; or any
other form of compensation relating to
the Assertion, Acquisition, or Transfer
of Patents Held by the Firm. ‘‘Economic
Interest’’ does not include shareholders
of publicly traded Firms that own less
than 5% of the outstanding shares of
any class of stock in the Firm.
‘‘Firm’’ means the Person served with
the information requests described in
this notice.
‘‘Hold’’ and ‘‘Held’’ mean to possess
a Legal Right to a Patent.
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‘‘Legal Right’’ means any ownership
interest in, an exclusive License to, or
other rights adequate to License or
enforce a Patent.
‘‘Litigation’’ means any civil action
commenced in a United States District
Court or with the United States
International Trade Commission.
‘‘License’’ means authorization by the
Patent holder to practice the claimed
invention, including, but not limited to,
a covenant not to sue and a covenant
not to assert.
‘‘Maintenance Fee(s)’’ has the
meaning defined by the USPTO.
‘‘Patent’’ means a United States patent
or United States patent application as
defined by 35 U.S.C. 101, et seq.
‘‘Patent Portfolio’’ means a collection
of patents Held by the Firm, including
all of the patents Held by the Firm and
any sub-groups into which the Firm
organizes its patents.
‘‘Person’’ means any natural person,
corporation, association, firm,
partnership, joint venture, trust, estate,
agency, department, bureau,
governmental, judicial, or legal entity,
however organized or established.
‘‘Reference Number’’ means a Bates
number or other sequential
identification number.
‘‘Report’’ means all studies, analyses,
and reports which were prepared by or
for any officer(s) or director(s) of a
corporate entity (or, in the case of
unincorporated entities, individuals
exercising similar functions) or
presented to any Person outside the
Firm (including, but not limited to,
investment presentations and
documents filed with the United States
Internal Revenue Service or Securities
and Exchange Commission).
‘‘Standard Setting Organization’’ or
‘‘SSO’’ means any organization, group,
joint venture, or consortium that
develop standards for the design,
performance, or other characteristics of
products or technologies.
‘‘Transfer’’ means the sale or
exchange of any Legal Right to a Patent,
including for monetary or other
consideration or for no compensation.
‘‘Wireless Chipset’’ means any
baseband processor, radio frequency
transceiver, integrated circuit, chip, or
chipset, or any combination thereof, and
any related software, used to implement
wireless communication.
‘‘Wireless Communications Device’’
means any device, including wireless
chipsets, which implements wireless
communication, including, but not
limited to, software, user equipment,
base stations, and network
infrastructure.
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‘‘Wireless Patent’’ means any Patent
Asserted against a Wireless
Communication Device.
The Information Requests sent to
Respondents will also have procedural
instructions, not included here.
Information Requests Directed to
Approximately 25 PAE Firms:
The FTC will have PAE Firms
respond to the following Information
Requests:
A. Identification of Report Author
Identify by full name, title, business
address, telephone number, email
address, and official capacity the
Person(s) who prepared or supervised
the preparation of the Firm’s response to
the Information Requests.
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B. Firm Information
1. State the Firm’s complete legal
name and all other names under which
it has done business since January 1,
2009, its corporate mailing address, all
addresses and Web sites from which it
does or has done business since January
1, 2009, and the date(s) and state(s) of
its incorporation.
2. Describe the Firm’s business and
corporate structure; provide an
organizational chart stating the names of
all parents, wholly or partially owned
subsidiaries, incorporated or
unincorporated divisions, affiliates,
branches, joint ventures, franchises,
operations under assumed names, Web
sites, or other Person(s) over which the
Firm exercises or has exercised
supervision or control since January 1,
2009. When responding to these
Information Requests, separately
provide all information for the Firm and
each related Person(s) identified in
response to Request B2.
3. Has more than one Person
identified in response to Request B2
engaged in Assertions against the same
Person? (Y/N) If yes, name the Person(s)
identified in response to Request B2 that
made the Assertions, name the Person
subject to the Assertions, state the date
of each Assertion; and identify the
Patent(s) related to each Assertion.
4. Identify each Person(s) with a
contractual or other legal right or
obligation to a share of revenues, profits,
costs or other Economic Interest in the
Firm. For each such Person, describe the
Person’s relationship with the Firm,
including their percentage of
ownership, control, or other legal
entitlement to a share of revenues,
profits or financial performance of the
Firm and, if relevant, their positions and
responsibilities within the Firm.
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C. Patent Information
1. For each Patent Held by the Firm
since January 1, 2009
a. State the Person within the Firm
who Holds the Patent, e.g. if the Patent
is Held by a Firm subsidiary, state the
subsidiary.
b. State the Patent number.
c. State the Patent’s priority date.
d. State the application to which the
Patent claims earliest priority.
e. Does the Patent expire either 17
years from the date of issuance, if the
Patent was filed before June 7, 1995, or
20 years from the priority date, if the
Patent was filed after June 7, 1995?
(Y/N) If no:
(1) State the Patent’s expiration date;
and
(2) produce, and provide a narrative
response that identifies by Reference
Number, Documents sufficient to
demonstrate the Patent’s expiration
date.
f. Has the Patent been subject to
review by the Patent and Trademark
Office since January 1, 2009? (Y/N) If
yes:
(1) Provide the docket number for
each review.
g. Do(es) any Person(s) outside the
Firm Hold any Legal Rights to the
Patent? (Y/N) If yes:
(1) Identify the Person(s) who Hold(s)
any Legal Rights to the Patent;
(2) for each Person identified above,
provide a narrative response that
identifies and describes the Legal Rights
Held; and
(3) produce, and provide a narrative
response that identifies by Reference
Number, all agreements relating to the
Legal Rights Held.
h. Do(es) any Person(s) outside the
Firm Hold an Economic Interest in the
Patent? (Y/N) If yes:
(1) Identify the Person(s) who Hold(s)
any Economic Interest in the Patent;
(2) for each Person identified above,
provide a narrative response that
identifies and describes the Economic
Interest Held; and
(3) produce, and provide a narrative
response that identifies by Reference
Number, all agreements relating to the
Economic Interest Held.
i. Does the Firm have an exclusive
License to the Patent? (Y/N) If yes:
(1) Produce, and provide a narrative
response that identifies by Reference
Number, the agreement(s) providing the
exclusive License;
(2) produce, and provide a narrative
response that identifies by Reference
Number, all Reports that evaluate or
analyze the Firm’s reasons for entering
into the exclusive License;
(3) if the exclusive License is limited
by geography, list the geographic
restrictions; and
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(4) if the exclusive License is limited
by field of use:
(a) State the specific field of use
restriction; and
(b) identify, from the following list, in
which sector(s) is the field of use
restriction: Chemical, Computers &
Communications, Drugs & Medical,
Semiconductors, Other Electrical &
Electronic, Mechanical, or Other.
j. Has the Firm Asserted the Patent?
(Y/N) If yes:
(1) State whether the patent is a
Wireless Patent; and
(2) identify, from the following list, in
which sector(s) the Patent was Asserted:
Chemical, Computers &
Communications, Drugs & Medical,
Semiconductors, Other Electrical &
Electronic, Mechanical, or Other.
k. Has the Firm included the Patent in
any Demand? (Y/N)
l. Has the Firm brought Litigation
involving the Patent? (Y/N)
m. Has the Firm Licensed the Patent
to any Person(s)? (Y/N)
n. Has the Firm, or any other Person,
assigned a value to the Patent? (Y/N) If
yes:
(1) State the date of the most recent
valuation;
(2) state the amount of the most recent
valuation;
(3) provide a narrative response
identifying, by date and amount, all
prior valuations by, or on behalf of, the
Firm; and
(4) produce, and provide a narrative
response that identifies by Reference
Number, all related Reports.
o. State the number of known
Assignments of the Patent before the
Patent was Acquired by the Firm. As
part of your response do not include the
assignment of Legal Rights to a Patent
by a Firm employee who is bound to
assign Legal Rights to the Firm at the
time of invention.
p. Provide a narrative response
identifying all Person(s) to whom the
Patent was assigned before the Firm
Acquired the Patent and the date(s) of
each assignment.
q. State whether the Patent was
Asserted in Litigation before the Firm
Acquired the Patent. (Y/N) If yes:
(1) State the number of times the
Patent was Asserted in Litigation before
the Firm Acquired the Patent;
(2) produce, and provide a narrative
response that identifies by Reference
Number, all agreements relating to the
Litigation, including License,
settlement, and non-disclosure
agreements; and
(3) for each Litigation provide a
narrative response:
(a) Identifying the Person(s) who
Asserted the Patent;
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(b) identifying the jurisdiction and
docket number of each Litigation;
(c) identifying all claims that were
found infringed, valid, and enforceable;
(d) stating whether an injunction or
exclusion order issued; and
(e) stating the amount of any damages
awarded.
2. To the extent not otherwise
identified in response to the Information
Requests, if the Firm has entered into
any agreement since January 1, 2009
relating to any Economic Interest or
Legal Right to any Patent Held by the
Firm, for each agreement
a. Submit the agreement, and provide
a narrative response that identifies it by
Reference Number; and
b. Submit all Reports that evaluate or
analyze the reasons for entering into the
agreement, and provide a narrative
response that identifies the Reference
Number(s) of the Reports.
D. Standard Setting Commitments
1. If any Person has committed to a
Standard Setting Organization that it
will License any Patent(s) Held by the
Firm since January 1, 2009, for each
commitment
a. State the date the commitment was
made.
b. Identify the Person who made the
commitment.
c. Identify the Standard Setting
Organization.
d. Identify the standard(s) to which
the commitment applies.
e. Provide a narrative response
identifying any Wireless Patents held by
the Firm that are subject to the
commitment.
f. State whether the commitment is to
License the Patent(s) or any Patent
claim(s) on reasonable and nondiscriminatory (RAND); fair, reasonable,
and non-discriminatory (FRAND);
royalty-free (RF); or other terms.
(1) if the commitment is to License on
terms other than RAND, FRAND, or RF,
provide a narrative response describing
the terms.
g. Is the commitment subject to a field
of use restriction? (Y/N) If yes:
(1) State the specific field of use
restriction(s); and
(2) identify, from the following list, in
which sector(s) is the field of use
restriction: Chemical, Computers &
Communications, Drugs & Medical,
Semiconductors, Other Electrical &
Electronic, Mechanical, or Other.
h. Provide a narrative response listing
all Patent(s) that any Person has
declared, or otherwise identified to any
Person, as subject to the commitment.
i. Produce, and provide a narrative
response identifying by Reference
Number, all agreements embodying the
commitment.
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E. Patent Portfolio Information
1. For each Patent Portfolio Held by
the Firm since January 1, 2009
a. Has the Firm organized the
Portfolio by field of use? (Y/N) If yes:
(1) State the specific field of use; and
(2) identify, from the following list, in
which sector(s) is the field of use:
Chemical, Computers &
Communications, Drugs & Medical,
Semiconductors, Other Electrical &
Electronic, Mechanical, or Other.
b. Does the Firm identify the Patent(s)
included in the Patent Portfolio? (Y/N)
If yes:
(1) provide a narrative response
stating the numbers of the Patents
included in the Patent Portfolio.
c. Has the Firm assigned a value to the
Patent Portfolio? (Y/N) If yes:
(1) State the date of the most recent
valuation;
(2) state the amount of the most recent
valuation;
(3) provide a narrative response
identifying, by date and amount, all
prior valuations by, or on behalf of, the
Firm; and
(4) produce, and provide a narrative
response identifying by Reference
Number, all related Reports.
d. Produce, and provide a narrative
response identifying by Reference
Number, all Reports that evaluate how
the Firm organizes and names the
Portfolio and the Firm’s reasons or
business strategy for organizing the
Patent Portfolio and for allocating
specific Patent(s) into any identified
Patent Portfolio.
e. To the extent not identified above,
provide a narrative response describing
how the Firm organizes and names the
Portfolio.
F. Patent Acquisition Information
1. For each transaction in which the
Firm Acquired Patent(s) since January 1,
2009
a. State the date of the transaction.
b. State the Person who Acquired the
Patent(s).
c. State the Person(s) from whom the
Patent(s) were Acquired.
(1) did the Firm Acquire the Patent(s)
from a named inventor of the Patent?
(Y/N)
(2) did the Firm Acquire the Patent(s)
from an employer of the named
inventor? (Y/N)
(3) did the Firm Acquire the Patent
from a Person that the Firm identifies as
a Patent Assertion Entity? (Y/N)
d. State the total number of Patents
Acquired in this transaction.
e. Did the Firm Acquire any Wireless
Patent(s) in this transaction? (Y/N)
f. For each Patent Acquired in the
transaction:
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(1) State the Patent Number.
(2) did the Firm assign the Patent in
connection with this transaction? (Y/N)
If yes:
(a) was the assignment recorded with
the United States Patent and Trademark
Office? (Y/N)
(3) did the Firm obtain an exclusive
License to the Patent in connection with
the transaction? (Y/N)
(4) did the Firm License the Patent
back to its previous owner? (Y/N)
g. Did the Firm assume existing
License obligations for the Patent(s)? (Y/
N) If yes:
(1) State the total number of License
obligations assumed;
(2) state the total revenue obtained by
the Firm as a result of assuming existing
License obligations to the date of this
request; and
(3) state the total revenue expected to
be obtained by the Firm in the future as
a result of assuming existing License
obligations.
h. Did the Firm Acquire the Patent(s)
in connection with any proceeding
before a United States Bankruptcy
Court? (Y/N) If yes:
(1) State the jurisdiction; and
(2) state the docket number.
i. For each Person receiving payment
as a result of this transaction:
(1) State the Person to whom the
payment was made.
(a) was the Person a named inventor
of a Patent included in the transaction?
(Y/N)
(b) was the Person an employer of a
named inventor of a Patent included in
the transaction? (Y/N)
(c) was the Patent(s) Acquired from
the Person? (Y/N)
(2) did the Firm make a lump-sum
payment(s), i.e. a payment not directly
affected by the Firm’s future revenue or
unit sales, to this Person to Acquire the
Patents? (Y/N) If yes:
(a) State the total amount of the lumpsum payment(s) made;
(b) state the total amount of the lumpsum payment(s) expected to be made in
the future;
(c) if any agreement defines the lumpsum payment terms, produce, and
provide a narrative response identifying
by Reference Number, the agreement;
and
(d) provide a narrative response
describing the method for calculating
the payment.
(3) did the Firm pay, or is the Firm
expecting to pay, an on-going payment,
i.e., a payment that is directly affected
by either the Firm’s future revenue or
unit sales, to this Person to Acquire the
Patent(s)? (Y/N) If yes:
(a) State the total amount paid in ongoing payments, by calendar year, to the
date of this Request;
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(b) state the total amount from ongoing payments expected to be made in
the future derived from the Patents
Acquired;
(c) if any agreement defines the
payment terms, produce, and provide a
narrative response identifying by
Reference Number, the agreement; and
(d) provide a narrative response
describing the method for calculating
the past and future ongoing payment(s).
j. Does the Acquisition involve a
cross-License? (Y/N) If yes:
(1) State the date of the cross-License
agreement.
(2) has the Firm assigned a value to
the cross-License? (Y/N) If yes:
(a) State the date of the most recent
valuation;
(b) state the amount of the most recent
valuation;
(c) provide a narrative response
identifying, by date and amount, all
prior valuations by, or on behalf of, the
Firm; and
(d) produce, and provide a narrative
response identifying by Reference
Number, all related Reports.
(3) produce, and provide a narrative
response identifying by Reference
Number, the cross-License; and
(4) produce, and provide a narrative
response identifying by Reference
Number, all related Reports.
k. Did any Person outside the Firm
financially contribute to the
Acquisition? (Y/N) If yes:
(1) State the Person(s) who
contributed to the Acquisition;
(2) state the total amount contributed
by other Person(s) to the Acquisition;
(3) state the total amount expected to
be contributed by other Person(s) in the
future as a result of the Acquisition;
(4) produce, and provide a narrative
response identifying by Reference
Number, all related agreements;
(5) produce, and provide a narrative
response identifying by Reference
Number, all related Reports; and
(6) for each Person identified, provide
a narrative response stating each
Person’s financial contribution, the
method for calculating this amount, and
each Person’s Legal Right to the
Patent(s).
l. Do(es) any Person(s) outside the
Firm Hold any Legal Rights to any of the
Patents Acquired in this transaction? (Y/
N) If yes:
(1) State the Person(s) who Holds any
Legal Rights to any Acquired Patents;
(2) produce, and provide a narrative
response identifying by Reference
Number, all related agreements;
(3) produce, and provide a narrative
response identifying by Reference
Number, all related Reports; and
(4) for each Person identified, provide
a narrative response identifying each
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Person’s Legal Rights, and the Patent(s)
to which the Person Holds each Legal
Right.
m. Produce, and provide a narrative
response identifying by Reference
Number, all Reports related to the
Acquisition.
n. Produce, and provide a narrative
response identifying by Reference
Number, all agreements related to the
Acquisition.
2. To the extent not identified in these
Information Requests, produce, and
provide a narrative response identifying
by Reference Number, all agreements
between the Firm and any Person
executed since January 1, 2009 relating
to any Acquisition by the Firm of any
Legal Right to a Patent
a. for any such agreement produced,
also produce, and provide a narrative
response identifying by Reference
Number, all Reports that (i) evaluate or
analyze the reasons for entering into the
agreement or (ii) evaluate or analyze the
calculation of any payment relating to
the Acquisition.
G. Patent Transfer Information
1. For each transaction in which the
Firm Transferred Patent(s) since January
1, 2009
a. State the date of the transaction.
b. State the Person(s) who Transferred
the Patent(s).
c. State the Person(s) to whom the
Patent(s) were Transferred.
(1) did the Firm Transfer the Patent(s)
to a Person that the Firm identifies as a
Patent Assertion Entity? (Y/N)
d. State the total number of Patent(s)
Transferred in the transaction.
e. Did the Firm transfer any Wireless
Patent(s) in this transaction? (Y/N)
f. For each Patent Transferred in the
transaction:
(1) State the Patent number.
(2) did the Firm assign the Patent in
connection with the transaction? (Y/N)
If yes:
(a) was the assignment recorded with
the United States Patent and Trademark
Office? (Y/N)
(3) did the Firm grant an exclusive
License to the Patent(s) in connection
with the transaction? (Y/N)
g. Did the Firm transfer existing
License obligations to the Patent(s)? (Y/
N) If yes:
(1) State the total number of License
obligations transferred; and
(2) state the total revenue received by
the Firm from these Licenses.
h. Did the Firm Transfer the Patent(s)
in connection with any proceeding
before a United States Bankruptcy
Court? (Y/N) If yes:
(1) State the jurisdiction; and
(2) state the docket number.
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i. Was the Firm paid a lump-sum
payment(s), i.e. a payment not directly
affected by the transferee’s future
revenue or unit sales, to Transfer the
Patent(s)? (Y/N) If yes, for each Person
making payments to the Firm:
(1) State the Person from whom the
payment(s) was received;
(2) state the total amount of the lumpsum payment(s) received;
(3) state the total amount of the lumpsum payment(s) expected to be received
in the future;
(4) if any agreement(s) define(s) the
payment terms, produce, and provide a
narrative response identifying by
Reference Number, the agreement(s);
and
(5) provide a narrative response
describing the method for calculating
the payment(s).
j. Did the Firm receive, or is it
receiving, an on-going payment, i.e., a
payment that is directly affected by
either the transferee’s future revenue or
unit sales, from the Person(s) receiving
the Patent(s)? (Y/N) If yes, for each
Person making payments to the Firm:
(1) State the Person(s) from whom the
payment(s) are received;
(2) state the total amount of the ongoing payments received from this
Person(s), by calendar year, made to the
date of this Request;
(3) state the total amount of on-going
payments expected to be received in the
future;
(4) if any agreement(s) define(s) the
payment terms, produce, and provide a
narrative response identifying by
Reference Number, the agreement(s);
and
(5) provide a narrative response
describing the method for calculating
the on-going payment(s).
k. Does the Transfer involve a crossLicense? (Y/N) If yes:
(1) State the date of the cross-License
agreement;
(2) has the Firm assigned a value to
the cross-License? (Y/N) If yes:
(a) State the date of the most recent
valuation;
(b) state the amount of the most recent
valuation;
(c) provide a narrative response
identifying, by date and amount,, all
prior valuations by, or on behalf of, the
Firm; and
(d) produce, and provide a narrative
response identifying by Reference
Number, all related Reports.
(3) produce, and provide a narrative
response identifying by Reference
Number, the cross-License; and
(4) produce, and provide a narrative
response identifying by Reference
Number, all related Reports.
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l. Did any Person outside the Firm
share in the proceeds from the Transfer?
(Y/N) If yes:
(1) State the Person(s) who shared in
the proceeds from the Transfer;
(2) state the total amount shared with
other Person(s) to the date of this
Request;
(3) state the total amount expected to
be shared with other Person(s) in the
future;
(4) produce, and provide a narrative
response identifying by Reference
Number, all related agreements;
(5) produce, and provide a narrative
response identifying by Reference
Number, all related Reports; and
(6) for each Person identified, provide
a narrative response stating the amount
shared with each Person, the amount
expected to be shared in the future, and
the method for calculating this amount.
m. Produce, and provide a narrative
response identifying by Reference
Number, all Reports related to the
Transfer.
n. Produce, and provide a narrative
response identifying by Reference
Number, all agreements related to the
Transfer.
2. To the extent not identified in these
Information Requests, produce, and
provide a narrative response identifying
by Reference Number, all agreements
between the Firm and any Person
executed since January 1, 2009 relating
to any Transfer by the Firm of any Legal
Right to a Patent.
a. For any such agreement produced,
also produce, and provide a narrative
response identifying by Reference
Number, all Reports that (i) evaluate or
analyze the reasons for entering into the
agreement or (ii) evaluate or analyze the
calculation of any payment relating to
the Acquisition.
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H. Patent Assertion Information
1. Demand Information: For each
Demand made by, or on behalf of, the
Firm since January 1, 2009.
a. State the date of the Demand.
b. State the Person(s) who made the
Demand, e.g. the Firm or one of its
related Person(s).
c. State the Person(s) to whom the
Demand was made.
d. State the Patent(s) that formed the
basis of the Demand.
e. Did the Demand relate to a Wireless
Patent? (Y/N)
f. Identify, from the following list, in
which sector(s) the Demand was made:
Chemical, Computers &
Communications, Drugs & Medical,
Semiconductors, Other Electrical &
Electronic, Mechanical, or Other.
g. Was the Demand limited to
geographic area(s)? (Y/N) If yes:
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(1) Identify the geographic area(s).
h. State all accused product(s) relating
to the Demand.
i. Produce, and provide a narrative
response identifying by Reference
Number, a copy of each Demand
Document and all appendices,
including, but not limited to, claim
charts, and all Reports related to the
Demand.
2. Litigation Information: For each
Litigation commenced since January 1,
2009 relating to a Patent Held by the
Firm, or a Patent in which the Firm has
an Economic Interest, separately for
each Person (collectively including its
parents, subsidiaries, and affiliates)
named as a defendant (if the Firm is a
plaintiff) or as a declaratory judgment
plaintiff (if the Firm is a defendant).
a. State the jurisdiction in which the
Litigation was commenced.
b. State the docket number of the
Litigation.
c. State the date the Litigation was
commenced.
d. State all plaintiffs named or
otherwise joined in the Litigation.
e. State the defendant (including
parents, subsidiaries, and affiliates)
named or otherwise joined in the
Litigation.
f. State all Patents Asserted.
g. Was any Patent Asserted a Wireless
Patent? (Y/N)
h. Identify, from the following list, in
which sector(s) the Patents were
asserted: Chemical, Computers &
Communications, Drugs & Medical,
Semiconductors, Other Electrical &
Electronic, Mechanical, or Other.
i. Produce, and provide a narrative
response identifying by Reference
Number, all orders relating to all
dispositive motions.
j. Produce, and provide a narrative
response identifying by Reference
Number, all expert reports exchanged
during Litigation that offer an opinion
related to the valuation of the Patent(s)
or damages relating to the Litigation.
k. Is the Litigation pending? (Y/N) If
no:
(1) State the date of termination.
(2) state whether the Litigation
terminated upon successful dispositive
motion, jury verdict, judgment
following trial on the merits, appeal,
settlement, or other (if other, explain).
(3) provide a narrative response
identifying all Patent claims found
infringed, valid, and enforceable.
(4) did a permanent injunction,
exclusion order, or cease and desist
order issue? (Y/N)
(5) did the court award damages?
(Y/N) If yes:
(a) State the amount awarded; and
(b) state the amount actually paid to
the prevailing party.
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(6) did the court award fees pursuant
to 35 U.S.C. 285? (Y/N) If yes:
(a) State the fees awarded; and
(b) state the amount actually paid to
the prevailing party.
(7) did the court issue sanctions
pursuant to Rule 11 of the Federal Rules
of Civil Procedure? (Y/N)
(8) did the Litigation terminate upon
exhaustion of appellate process? (Y/N)
l. Did the Litigation settle? (Y/N) If
yes:
(1) Did the settlement result in a
License agreement? (Y/N) If yes:
(a) State the date of the License
agreement;
(b) state the Licensee; and
(c) state the Licensor.
(2) when was settlement reached: after
the complaint was filed; after a
successful dispositive motion, after a
jury verdict, after judgment following
trial on the merits, after appeal, or other
(if other, explain)?
(3) did the Court issue an order
construing any claim(s) of the Patent(s)
Asserted before settlement was reached?
(Y/N) If yes:
(a) Produce, and provide a narrative
response identifying by Reference
Number, the order.
(4) state the total revenue the Firm has
received under the terms of the
settlement agreement from January 1,
2009 to the date of this Request. Do not
report revenue reported for any License
identified in response to H.3 below.
(a) was any part of this revenue
received as a lump-sum payment, i.e. a
payment not directly affected by the
defendant’s future revenue or unit sales?
(Y/N) If yes:
(1) State the total revenue the Firm
has received to the date of this request
in lump-sum payments; and
(2) state the total revenue the Firm
expects to receive in the future in lumpsum payments.
(b) was any part of this revenue
received as an on-going payment, i.e., a
payment that is directly affected by
either the defendant’s future revenue or
unit sales? (Y/N) If yes:
(1) State the total revenue the Firm
has received to the date of this request
in on-going payments; and
(2) state the total revenue the Firm
expects to receive in the future as ongoing payments.
(c) is this revenue shared with anyone
outside the Firm? (Y/N) If yes:
(1) State the total amount shared
outside the Firm.
(2) if the revenue is part of an ongoing
payment, state the total amount the
Firm expects to share in the future.
(3) is any revenue shared pursuant to
a contingency fee or risk-sharing
agreement? (Y/N) If yes:
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(A) State the total amount shared
pursuant to a contingency fee or risksharing agreement;
(B) state the Person(s) outside the
Firm who is party to the agreement; and
(C) provide a narrative response
stating the amount the Firm shared with
each Person, the amount the Firm
expects to share in the future, and
describing the method for calculating
this amount.
(4) state all Person(s) with whom this
revenue is shared.
(A) are any of these Person(s) the
named inventor of any Patent Asserted
in the Litigation? (Y/N)
(B) are any of these Person(s) the
employer of the named inventor of any
Patent Asserted in the Litigation? (Y/N)
(5) produce, and provide a narrative
response identifying by Reference
Number, all revenue sharing
agreements.
(6) provide a narrative response
stating the amount shared with each
Person and describing the method for
calculating this amount.
m. State the Firm’s total expenses
relating to the Litigation from January 1,
2009 to the date of this Request.
(1) are these expenses shared with any
Person(s) outside the Firm? (Y/N) If yes:
(a) State the total amount of expenses
shared outside the Firm;
(b) identify all Person(s) with whom
expenses are shared;
(c) produce, and provide a narrative
response identifying by Reference
Number, all expense sharing
agreements;
(d) produce, and provide a narrative
response identifying by Reference
Number, all Reports related to all
expense sharing agreements; and
(e) provide a narrative response
stating the amount shared with each
Person and describing the method for
calculating this amount.
n. State all projected revenues relating
to the Litigation from the date of this
Request.
(1) provide a narrative response
describing the method for calculating
the projected revenue, e.g. as a fraction
of revenue or a fee per unit sold.
o. To the extent not identified above,
produce, and provide a narrative
response identifying by Reference
Number, all agreements related to the
Litigation and produce, and provide a
narrative response identifying by
Reference Number, all Reports related to
the Litigation.
3. License Information: For each
License executed since January 1, 2009
relating to a Patent Held by the Firm or
a Patent in which the Firm has an
Economic Interest
a. Who is the Licensor(s)?
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b. Who is the Licensee(s)?
c. Identify all Patent(s) Licensed.
d. What is the effective date of the
License agreement?
e. Does the License relate to a Patent
Held by the Firm? (Y/N)
f. Does the License relate to a Wireless
Patent Held by the Firm?
(Y/N)
g. Does the License relate to a Patent
in which the Firm has an Economic
Interest? (Y/N)
h. Does the License relate to a
Wireless Patent in which the Firm has
an Economic Interest? (Y/N)
i. For each Litigation related to the
License:
(1) State the jurisdiction in which the
Litigation was commenced.
(2) state the docket number of the
Litigation.
j. Does the License contain a field of
use restriction? (Y/N) If yes:
(1) State the specific field of use
restriction; and
(2) identify, from the following list, in
which sector(s) is the field of use
restriction: Chemical, Computers &
Communications, Drugs & Medical,
Semiconductors, Other Electrical &
Electronic, Mechanical, or Other.
k. Does the License contain a
geographic restriction? (Y/N) If yes:
(1) Identify the geographic
restriction(s).
l. State the duration of the License
agreement?
m. State the Licensed products or
services.
n. Does the License include any crossLicense? (Y/N) If yes:
(1) has the Firm assigned a value to
the cross-License? (Y/N) If yes:
(a) State the date of the most recent
valuation; and
(b) state the amount of the most recent
valuation; and
(c) provide a narrative response
identifying by date and amount all prior
valuations by, or on behalf of, the Firm;
and
(d) produce, and provide a narrative
response identifying by Reference
Number, all related Reports.
(2) produce, and provide a narrative
response identifying by Reference
Number, the cross-License.
(3) provide a narrative response
identifying the number of Patents crossLicensed, as well as whether the crossLicense is exclusive, whether there are
any geographic limitations to the crossLicense, whether there are any field of
use limitations to the cross-License, and
whether the field of use restriction is in
the following sectors: Chemical,
Computers & Communications, Drugs &
Medical, Semiconductors, Other
Electrical & Electronic, Mechanical, or
Other.
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o. State the total revenue the Firm has
received under the terms of the License
from January 1, 2009 to the date of this
Request.
(1) was any part of this revenue
received as a lump-sum payment, i.e. a
payment not directly affected by the
defendant’s future revenue or unit sales?
(Y/N) If yes:
(a) State the total revenue the Firm
has received to the date of this request
in lump-sum payments.
(2) was any part of this revenue
received as an on-going payment, i.e., a
payment that is directly affected by
either the defendant’s future revenue or
unit sales? (Y/N) If yes:
(a) State the total revenue the Firm
has received to the date of this request
in on-going payments.
(3) is this revenue shared with anyone
outside the Firm? (Y/N) If yes:
(a) State the total amount shared
outside the Firm.
(b) if the revenue is part of an ongoing
payment, state the total amount the
Firm expects to share in the future.
(c) state all Person(s) with whom this
revenue is shared.
(1) are any of these Person(s) the
named inventor of any of the Licensed
Patents? (Y/N)
(2) are any of these Person(s) the
employer of the named inventor of any
of the Licensed Patents? (Y/N)
(d) produce, and provide a narrative
response identifying by Reference
Number, all revenue sharing
agreements.
(e) provide a narrative response
stating the amount the Firm shared with
each Person and the amount the Firm
expects to share in the future and
describing the method for calculating
this amount.
p. State the Firm’s total expenses
relating to the License agreement from
January 1, 2009 to the date of this
Request.
(1) are these expenses shared with any
Person(s) outside the Firm? (Y/N) If yes:
(a) State the total amount of expenses
shared outside the Firm;
(b) identify all Person(s) with whom
expenses are shared;
(c) produce, and provide a narrative
response identifying by Reference
Number, all expense sharing
agreements;
(d) produce, and provide a narrative
response identifying by Reference
Number, all Reports related to all
expense sharing agreements; and
(e) provide a narrative response
stating the amount of expenses shared
with each Person and describing the
method for calculating this amount.
q. State all projected revenues relating
to the License from the date of this
Request.
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(1) provide a narrative response
describing the method for calculating
the projected revenue, e.g. as a fraction
of revenue or a fee per unit sold.
r. Produce, and provide a narrative
response identifying by Reference
Number, all Reports related to the
License.
s. Produce, and provide a narrative
response identifying by Reference
Number, all agreements related to the
License.
4. To the extent not identified above,
produce, and provide a narrative
response identifying by Reference
Number, all agreements related to any
Assertion relating to a Patent Held by
the Firm, or a Patent in which the Firm
has an Economic Interest and produce,
and provide a narrative response
identifying by Reference Number, all
related Reports
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
I. Aggregate Cost Information
1. Separately, for each year since
January 1, 2009
a. State the total cost to the Firm
relating to all Acquisitions identified in
response to Request F.
(1) did the Firm share Acquisition
costs with Person(s) outside the Firm?
(Y/N) If yes:
(a) State all Person(s) with whom
these costs are shared;
(b) state the total amount paid by
Person(s) outside the Firm; and
(c) state the total amount paid by the
Firm.
b. State the total cost to the Firm
relating to all Litigations identified in
response to Request H.2.
(1) did the Firm share Litigation costs
with Person(s) outside the Firm? (Y/N)
If yes:
(a) State all Person(s) with whom
these costs are shared;
(b) state the total amount paid by
Person(s) outside the Firm; and
(c) state the total amount paid by the
Firm.
c. State the total cost to the Firm
relating to all Licenses identified in
response to Request H.3.
(1) did the Firm share License costs
with Person(s) outside the Firm? (Y/N)
If yes:
(a) State all Person(s) with whom
these costs are shared;
(b) state the total amount paid by
Person(s) outside the Firm; and
(c) state the total amount paid by the
Firm.
2. For all forecasted costs expected to
be paid after the date of this Request
a. State the total cost expected to be
paid by the Firm relating to all
Acquisitions identified in Request F.
b. State the total cost expected to be
paid by all other Person(s) outside the
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Firm relating to all Acquisitions
identified in Request F.
c. State the total cost expected to be
paid by the Firm relating to all
Litigations identified in Request H.2.
d. State the total cost expected to be
paid by all other Person(s) outside the
Firm relating to all Litigations identified
in Request H.2.
e. State the total cost expected to be
paid by the Firm relating to all License
Agreements identified in Request H.3.
f. State the total cost expected to be
paid by all other Person(s) outside with
the Firm relating to all License
Agreements identified in Request H.3.
g. Produce, and provide a narrative
response identifying by Reference
Number, all Reports related to all
forecasted costs identified in response
to this Request.
3. Since January 1, 2009, has the Firm
engaged in any research and
development related to the Patents
identified in Request C? (Y/N) If yes:
a. What is the total cost of the Firms’
research and development activity?
b. Produce, and provide a narrative
response identifying by Reference
Number, Documents sufficient to show
the total cost of the Firms’ research and
development activity.
4. Produce, and provide a narrative
response identifying by Reference
Number, Documents sufficient to show
all costs and payments identified in
response to Request I
5. Has the Firm made any payment
related to the Acquisition of any Patent
by any Person not otherwise identified
in response to these Requests? (Y/N) If
yes:
a. State the Person(s) to whom the
payments were made;
b. State the total amount paid;
c. State the total amount expected to
be paid in the future; and
d. For each Person who received
payments from the Firm, provide a
narrative response identifying the
amount paid, identifying the amount
expected to be paid in the future, and
describing the Acquisition.
J. Aggregate Revenue Information
1. Separately, for each year since
January 1, 2009
a. State the total revenue received by
the Firm relating to all Transfers
identified in response to Request G.
(1) did the Firm share Transfer
revenue with Person(s) outside the
Firm? (Y/N) If yes:
(a) State all Person(s) with whom this
revenue is shared;
(b) state the amount of revenue shared
with Person(s) outside the Firm; and
(c) state the amount retained by the
Firm.
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b. State the total revenue received by
the Firm relating to all Litigations
identified in response to Request H.2.
(1) did the Firm share Litigation
revenue with Person(s) outside the
Firm? (Y/N) If yes:
(a) State all Person(s) with whom this
revenue is shared;
(b) state the total revenue shared with
Person(s) outside the Firm; and
(c) state the amount retained by the
Firm.
c. State the total revenue received by
the Firm relating to all Licenses
identified in response to Request H.3.
(1) did the Firm share License
revenue with Person(s) outside the
Firm? (Y/N) If yes:
(a) State all Person(s) with whom this
revenue is shared;
(b) state the total revenue shared with
Person(s) outside the Firm; and
(c) state the amount retained by the
Firm.
2. For all forecasted revenues
expected to be received by the Firm
after the date of this Request
a. State the total revenue expected to
be received by the Firm relating to all
Transfers identified in Request G.
b. State the total revenue expected to
be received by all other Person(s)
outside the Firm relating to all Transfers
identified in Request G.
c. State the total revenue expected to
be received by the Firm relating to all
Litigations identified in Request H.
d. State the total revenue expected to
be received by all other Person(s)
outside the Firm relating to all
Litigations identified in Request H.2.
e. State the total revenue expected to
be received by the Firm relating to all
License Agreements identified in
Request H.3.
f. State the total revenue expected to
be received by all other Person(s)
outside the Firm relating to all License
Agreements identified in Request H.3.
3. Produce, and provide a narrative
response identifying by Reference
Number, Documents sufficient to show
all revenue identified in response to
Request J
4. Produce, and provide a narrative
response identifying by Reference
Number, all Reports related to all
forecasted revenues identified in
response to Request J
5. Has the Firm received any revenue,
either directly or indirectly, from the
Assertion of any Patent by any Person
not otherwise identified in response
these requests? (Y/N) If yes:
a. State the Person(s) who paid this
revenue to the Firm;
b. State the total amount of revenue
received;
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c. State the total amount of revenue
expected to be received in the future;
and
d. For each Person who paid this
revenue to the Firm, provide a narrative
response identifying the amount paid,
identifying the amount expected to be
paid in the future, and describing the
Assertion.
6. Has the Firm received any revenue,
either directly or indirectly, from the
Acquisition of any Patent by any Person
not otherwise identified in response
these requests? (Y/N) If yes:
a. State the Person(s) who paid this
revenue to the Firm;
b. State the total amount of revenue
received;
c. State the total amount of revenue
expected to be received in the future;
and
d. For each Person who paid this
revenue to the Firm, provide a narrative
response identifying the amount paid,
identifying the amount expected to be
paid in the future, and describing the
Acquisition.
7. Has the Firm received any revenue,
either directly or indirectly, from the
Transfer of any Patent by any Person not
otherwise identified in response these
requests? (Y/N) If yes:
a. State the Person(s) who paid this
revenue to the Firm;
b. State the total amount of revenue
received;
c. State the total amount of revenue
expected to be received in the future;
and
d. For each Person who paid this
revenue to the Firm, provide a narrative
response identifying the amount paid,
identifying the amount expected to be
paid in the future, and describing the
Transfer.
Information Requests Directed to
Approximately 15 Manufacturing Firms
and NPEs Asserting Patents in the
Wireless Sector:
The FTC will have Manufacturing
Firms and NPEs respond to the
following information requests:
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K. Identification of Report Author
Identify by full name, title, business
address, telephone number, email
address, and official capacity the
Person(s) who prepared or supervised
the preparation of the Firm’s response to
the Information Requests.
L. Firm Information
1. State the Firm’s complete legal
name and all other names under which
it has done business since January 1,
2009, its corporate mailing address, all
addresses and Web sites from which it
does or has done business since January
1, 2009, and the date(s) and state(s) of
its incorporation.
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2. Describe the Firm’s business and
corporate structure, provide an
organizational chart stating the names of
all parents, wholly or partially owned
subsidiaries, incorporated or
unincorporated divisions, affiliates,
branches, joint ventures, franchises,
operations under assumed names, Web
sites, or other Person(s) over which the
Firm exercises or has exercised
supervision or control since January 1,
2009 who Assert Wireless Patents.
When responding to these Information
Requests, separately provide all
information for the Firm and each
related Person(s) identified in response
to Request L2.
3. Has more than one Person
identified in response to Request L2
engaged in Assertions relating to
Wireless Patents against the same
Person. (Y/N) If yes, name the Person(s)
identified in response to Request L2 that
made the Assertions, name the Person
subject to the Assertions, state the date
of each Assertion; and identify the
Wireless Patent(s) related to each
Assertion.
4. If the Firm is an exclusive Licensee
to any Wireless Patent(s), produce, and
provide a narrative response identifying
by Reference Number, the License, state
whether there are any geographic
limitations to the License, whether there
are any field of use limitations to the
License, and whether the field of use
restriction is in the following sectors:
Chemical, Computers &
Communications, Drugs & Medical,
Semiconductors, Other Electrical &
Electronic, Mechanical, or Other, and
produce, and provide a narrative
response identifying by Reference
Number, all related Reports.
M. Standard Setting Commitments
1. If any Person has committed to a
Standard Setting Organization that it
will License any Wireless Patent(s) Held
by the Firm since January 1, 2009, for
each commitment
a. State the date the commitment was
made.
b. Identify the Person who made the
commitment.
c. Identify the Standard Setting
Organization.
d. Identify the standard(s) to which
the commitment applies.
e. State whether the commitment is to
License the Wireless Patent(s) or any
Patent claim(s) on reasonable and nondiscriminatory (RAND); fair, reasonable,
and non-discriminatory (FRAND);
royalty-free (RF); or other terms.
(1) if the commitment is to License on
terms other than RAND, FRAND, or RF,
provide a narrative response describing
the terms.
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f. Is the commitment subject to a field
of use restriction? (Y/N) If yes:
(1) State the specific field of use
restriction(s); and
(2) identify, from the following list, in
which sector(s) is the field of use
restriction: Chemical, Computers &
Communications, Drugs & Medical,
Semiconductors, Other Electrical &
Electronic, Mechanical, or Other.
g. Provide a narrative response listing
all Patent(s) that any Person has
declared, or otherwise identified to any
Person, as subject to the commitment.
h. Produce, and provide a narrative
response identifying by Reference
Number, all agreements embodying the
commitment.
N. Patent Transfer Information
1. For each transaction in which the
Firm Transferred Wireless Patent(s)
since January 1, 2009
a. State the date of the transaction.
b. State the Person(s) who Transferred
the Patent(s).
c. State the Person(s) to whom the
Patent(s) were Transferred.
(1) did the Firm Transfer the Patent(s)
to a Person that the Firm identifies as a
Patent Assertion Entity? (Y/N)
d. State the total number of Patent(s)
Transferred in the transaction.
e. For each Patent Transferred in the
transaction:
(1) State the Patent number.
(2) did the Firm assign the Patent in
connection with the transaction? (Y/N)
If yes:
(a) Was the assignment recorded with
the United States Patent and Trademark
Office? (Y/N)
(3) did the Firm grant an exclusive
License to the Patent(s) in connection
with the transaction? (Y/N)
f. Did the Firm transfer existing
License obligations to the Patent(s)? (Y/
N) If yes:
(1) State the total number of License
obligations transferred; and
(2) state the total revenue received by
the Firm from these Licenses.
g. Did the Firm Transfer the Patent(s)
in connection with any proceeding
before a United States Bankruptcy
Court? (Y/N) If yes:
(1) State the jurisdiction; and
(2) state the docket number.
h. Was the Firm paid a lump-sum
payment(s), i.e. a payment not directly
affected by the transferee’s future
revenue or unit sales, to Transfer the
Patent(s)? (Y/N) If yes, for each Person
making payments to the Firm:
(1) State the Person from whom the
payment was received;
(2) state the total amount of the lumpsum payment(s) received;
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(3) state the total amount of the lumpsum payment(s) expected to be received
in the future;
(4) if any agreement(s) define(s) the
payment terms, produce, and provide a
narrative response identifying by
Reference Number, the agreement(s);
and
(5) provide a narrative response
describing the method for calculating
the payment(s).
i. Did the Firm receive, or is it
receiving, an on-going payment, i.e., a
payment that is directly affected by
either the transferee’s future revenue or
unit sales, from the Person(s) receiving
the Patent(s)? (Y/N) If yes, for each
Person making payments to the Firm:
(1) State the Person(s) from whom the
payment(s) are received;
(2) state the total amount of the ongoing payments received from this
Person(s), by calendar year, made to the
date of this Request;
(3) state the total amount of payments
expected to be received in the future;
(4) if any agreement(s) define(s) the
payment terms, produce, and provide a
narrative response identifying by
Reference Number, the agreement(s);
and
(5) provide a narrative response
describing the method for calculating
the on-going payment(s).
j. Does the Transfer involve a crossLicense? (Y/N) If yes:
(1) State the date of the cross-License
agreement.
(2) Has the Firm assigned a value to
the cross-License? (Y/N) If yes:
(a) State the date of the most recent
valuation;
(b) state the amount of the most recent
valuation;
(c) provide a narrative response
identifying by date and amount all prior
valuations by, or on behalf of, the Firm;
and
(d) produce, and provide a narrative
response identifying by Reference
Number, all related Reports.
(3) produce, and provide a narrative
response identifying by Reference
Number, the cross-License; and
(4) produce, and provide a narrative
response identifying by Reference
Number, all related Reports.
k. Did any Person outside the Firm
share in the proceeds from the Transfer?
(Y/N) If yes:
(1) State the Person(s) who shared in
the proceeds from the Transfer;
(2) state the total amount shared with
other Person(s) to the date of this
Request;
(3) state the total amount expected to
be shared with other Person(s) in the
future;
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(4) produce, and provide a narrative
response identifying by Reference
Number, all related agreements;
(5) produce, and provide a narrative
response identifying by Reference
Number, all related Reports; and
(6) for each Person identified, provide
a narrative response stating the amount
shared with each Person, the amount
expected to be shared in the future, and
the method for calculating this amount.
l. Produce, and provide a narrative
response identifying by Reference
Number, all Reports related to the
Transfer.
m. Produce, and provide a narrative
response identifying by Reference
Number, all agreements related to the
Transfer.
2. To the extent not identified in these
Information Requests, produce, and
provide a narrative response identifying
by Reference Number, all agreements
between the Firm and any Person
executed since January 1, 2009 relating
to any Transfer by the Firm of any Legal
Right to a Patent.
a. For any such agreement produced,
also produce, and provide a narrative
response identifying by Reference
Number, all Reports that (i) evaluate or
analyze the reasons for entering into the
agreement or (ii) evaluate or analyze the
calculation of any payment relating to
the Acquisition.
O. Patent Assertion Information
1. Demand Information: For each
Demand made by, or on behalf of, the
Firm since January 1, 2009, relating to
Wireless Patent(s)
a. State the date of the Demand.
b. State the Person(s) who made the
Demand, e.g. the Firm or one of its
related Person(s).
c. State the Person(s) to whom the
Demand was made.
d. State the Patent(s) that formed the
basis of the Demand.
e. Identify, from the following list, in
which sector(s) the Demand was made:
Chemical, Computers &
Communications, Drugs & Medical,
Semiconductors, Other Electrical &
Electronic, Mechanical, or Other.
f. Was the Demand limited to
geographic area(s)? (Y/N) If yes:
(1) Identify the geographic area(s).
g. State all accused product(s) relating
to the Demand.
h. Produce, and provide a narrative
response identifying by Reference
Number, a copy of each Demand
Document and all appendices,
including, but not limited to, claim
charts, and all Reports related to the
Demand.
2. Litigation Information: For each
Litigation commenced since January 1,
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2009 relating to a Wireless Patent Held
by the Firm, or a Wireless Patent in
which the Firm has an Economic
Interest, separately for each Person
(collectively including its parents,
subsidiaries, and affiliates) named as a
defendant (if the Firm is a plaintiff) or
as a declaratory judgment plaintiff (if
the Firm is a defendant)
a. State the jurisdiction in which the
Litigation was commenced.
b. State the docket number of the
Litigation.
c. State the date the Litigation was
commenced.
d. State all plaintiffs named or
otherwise joined in the Litigation.
e. State the defendant (including
parents, subsidiaries, and affiliates)
named or otherwise joined in the
Litigation.
f. State all Patents Asserted.
g. Identify, from the following list, in
which sector(s) the Patents were
asserted: Chemical, Computers &
Communications, Drugs & Medical,
Semiconductors, Other Electrical &
Electronic, Mechanical, or Other.
h. Produce, and provide a narrative
response identifying by Reference
Number, all orders relating to all
dispositive motions.
i. Produce, and provide a narrative
response identifying by Reference
Number, all expert reports exchanged
during Litigation that offer an opinion
related to the valuation of the Patent(s)
or damages relating to the Litigation.
j. Is the Litigation pending? (Y/N) If
no:
(1) State the date of termination.
(2) state whether the Litigation
terminated upon successful dispositive
motion, jury verdict, judgment
following trial on the merits, appeal,
settlement, or other (if other, explain).
(3) provide a narrative response
identifying all Patent claims found
infringed, valid, and enforceable.
(4) did a permanent injunction,
exclusion order, or cease and desist
order issue? (Y/N)
(5) did the court award damages? (Y/
N) If yes:
(a) State the amount awarded; and
(b) state the amount actually paid to
the prevailing party.
(6) did the court award fees pursuant
to 35 U.S.C. 285? (Y/N) If yes:
(a) State the fees awarded; and
(b) state the amount actually paid to
the prevailing party.
(7) did the court issue sanctions
pursuant to Rule 11 of the Federal Rules
of Civil Procedure? (Y/N)
(8) did the Litigation terminate upon
exhaustion of appellate process? (Y/N)
k. Did the Litigation settle? (Y/N) If
yes:
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(1) Did the settlement result in a
License agreement? (Y/N) If yes:
(a) State the date of the License
agreement;
(b) state the Licensee; and
(c) state the Licensor.
(2) when was settlement reached: after
the complaint was filed; after a
successful dispositive motion, after a
jury verdict, after judgment following
trial on the merits, after appeal, or other
(if other, explain)?
(3) did the Court issue an order
construing any claim(s) of the Patent(s)
Asserted before settlement was reached?
(Y/N) If yes:
(a) Produce, and provide a narrative
response identifying by Reference
Number, the order.
(4) state the total revenue the Firm has
received under the terms of the
settlement agreement from January 1,
2009 to the date of this Request. Do not
report revenue reported for any License
identified in response to N.3 below.
(a) was any part of this revenue
received as a lump-sum payment, i.e. a
payment not directly affected by the
defendant’s future revenue or unit sales?
(Y/N) If yes:
(1) State the total revenue the Firm
has received to the date of this request
in lump-sum payments; and
(2) state the total revenue the Firm
expects to receive in lump-sum
payments in the future.
(b) was any part of this revenue
received as an on-going payment, i.e., a
payment that is directly affected by
either the defendant’s future revenue or
unit sales? (Y/N) If yes:
(1) State the total revenue the Firm
has received to the date of this request
in on-going payments; and
(2) state the total revenue the Firm
expects to receive in on-going payments
in the future.
(c) is this revenue shared with anyone
outside the Firm? (Y/N) If yes:
(1) State the total amount shared
outside the Firm.
(2) if the revenue is part of an ongoing
payment, state the total amount the
Firm expects to share in the future.
(3) is any revenue shared pursuant to
a contingency fee or risk-sharing
agreement? (Y/N) If yes:
(A) State the total amount shared
pursuant to a contingency fee or risksharing agreement;
(B) state the Person(s) outside the
Firm who is party to the agreement; and
(C) provide a narrative response
stating the amount the Firm shared with
each Person, the amount the Firm
expects to share in the future, and
describing the method for calculating
this amount.
(4) state all Person(s) with whom this
revenue is shared.
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(A) are any of these Person(s) the
named inventor of any Patent Asserted
in the Litigation? (Y/N)
(B) are any of these Person(s) the
employer of the named inventor of any
Patent Asserted in the Litigation? (Y/N)
(5) produce, and provide a narrative
response identifying by Reference
Number, all revenue sharing
agreements.
(6) provide a narrative response
stating the amount shared with each
Person and describing the method for
calculating this amount.
l. State the Firm’s total expenses
relating to the Litigation from January 1,
2009 to the date of this Request.
(1) are these expenses shared with any
Person(s) outside the Firm? (Y/N) If yes:
(a) State the total amount of expenses
shared outside the Firm;
(b) identify all Person(s) with whom
expenses are shared;
(c) produce, and provide a narrative
response identifying by Reference
Number, all expense sharing
agreements;
(d) produce, and provide a narrative
response identifying by Reference
Number, all Reports related to all
expense sharing agreements; and
(e) provide a narrative response
stating the amount shared with each
Person and describing the method for
calculating this amount.
m. State all projected revenues
relating to the Litigation from the date
of this Request.
(1) provide a narrative response
describing the method for calculating
the projected revenue, e.g. as a fraction
of revenue or a fee per unit sold.
n. To the extent not identified above,
produce, and provide a narrative
response identifying by Reference
Number, all agreements related to the
Litigation and produce, and provide a
narrative response identifying by
Reference Number, all Reports related to
the Litigation.
3. License Information: For each
License executed since January 1, 2009
relating to a Wireless Patent Held by the
Firm or a Wireless Patent in which the
Firm has an Economic Interest
a. Who is the Licensor?
b. Who is the Licensee?
c. Identify all Patent(s) Licensed.
d. What is the effective date of the
License agreement?
e. Does the License relate to a
Wireless Patent Held by the Firm?
(Y/N)
f. Does the License relate to a Wireless
Patent in which the Firm has an
Economic Interest? (Y/N)
g. For each Litigation related to the
License:
(1) State the jurisdiction in which the
Litigation was commenced.
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(2) state the docket number of the
Litigation.
h. Does the License contain a field of
use restriction? (Y/N) If yes:
(1) State the specific field of use
restriction ; and
(2) identify, from the following list, in
which sector(s) is the field of use
restriction: Chemical, Computers &
Communications, Drugs & Medical,
Semiconductors, Other Electrical &
Electronic, Mechanical, or Other.
i. Does the License contain a
geographic restriction? (Y/N) If yes:
(1) Identify the geographic
restriction(s).
j. State the duration of the License
agreement?
k. State the Licensed products or
services.
l. Does the License include any crossLicense? (Y/N) If yes:
(1) Has the Firm assigned a value to
the cross-License? (Y/N) If yes:
(a) State the date of the most recent
valuation; and
(b) state the amount of the most recent
valuation; and
(c) provide a narrative response
identifying by date and amount all prior
valuations by, or on behalf of, the Firm;
and
(d) produce, and provide a narrative
response identifying by Reference
Number, all related Reports.
(2) produce, and provide a narrative
response identifying by Reference
Number, the cross-License.
m. Provide a narrative response
identifying the number of Patents crossLicensed, as well as whether the crossLicense is exclusive, whether there are
any geographic limitations to the crossLicense, whether there are any field of
use limitations to the cross-License, and
whether the field of use restriction is in
the following sectors: Chemical,
Computers & Communications, Drugs &
Medical, Semiconductors, Other
Electrical & Electronic, Mechanical, or
Other.
n. State the total revenue the Firm has
received under the terms of the License
from January 1, 2009 to the date of this
Request.
(1) was any part of this revenue
received as a lump-sum payment, i.e. a
payment not directly affected by the
defendant’s future revenue or unit sales?
(Y/N) If yes:
(a) State the total revenue the Firm
has received to the date of this request
in lump-sum payments.
(2) was any part of this revenue
received as an on-going payment, i.e., a
payment that is directly affected by
either the defendant’s future revenue or
unit sales? (Y/N) If yes:
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(a) State the total revenue the Firm
has received to the date of this Request
in on-going payments.
(3) is this revenue shared with anyone
outside the Firm? (Y/N) If yes:
(a) State the total amount shared
outside the Firm.
(b) if the revenue is part of an ongoing
payment, state the total amount the
Firm expects to share in the future.
(c) state all Person(s) with whom this
revenue is shared.
(1) are any of these Person(s) the
named inventor of any of the Licensed
Patents? (Y/N)
(2) are any of these Person(s) the
employer of the named inventor of any
of the Licensed Patents? (Y/N)
(d) produce, and provide a narrative
response identifying by Reference
Number, all revenue sharing
agreements.
(e) provide a narrative response
stating the amount the Firm shared with
each Person and the amount the Firm
expects to share in the future and
describing the method for calculating
this amount.
o. State the Firm’s total expenses
relating to the License agreement from
January 1, 2009 to the date of this
Request.
(1) are these expenses shared with any
Person(s) outside the Firm? (Y/N) If yes:
(a) State the total amount of expenses
shared outside the Firm;
(b) identify all Person(s) with whom
expenses are shared;
(c) produce, and provide a narrative
response identifying by Reference
Number, all expense sharing
agreements;
(d) produce, and provide a narrative
response identifying by Reference
Number, all Reports related to all
expense sharing agreements; and
(e) provide a narrative response
stating the amount of expenses shared
with each Person and describing the
method for calculating this amount.
p. State all projected revenues relating
to the License from the date of this
Request.
(1) provide a narrative response
describing the method for calculating
the projected revenue, e.g. as a fraction
of revenue or a fee per unit sold.
q. Produce, and provide a narrative
response identifying by Reference
Number, all Reports related to the
License.
r. Produce, and provide a narrative
response identifying by Reference
Number, all agreements related to the
License.
4. To the extent not identified above,
produce, and provide a narrative
response identifying by Reference
Number, all agreements related to any
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Assertion relating to a Wireless Patent
Held by the Firm, or a Wireless Patent
in which the Firm has an Economic
Interest and produce, and provide a
narrative response identifying by
Reference Number, all related Reports.
P. Aggregate Cost Information
1. Separately, for each year since
January 1, 2009
a. State the total cost to the Firm
relating to all Litigations identified in
response to Request O.2.
(1) did the Firm share Litigation costs
with Person(s) outside the Firm? (Y/N)
If yes:
(a) State all Person(s) with whom
these costs are shared;
(b) state the total amount paid by
Person(s) outside the Firm; and
(c) state the total amount paid by the
Firm.
b. State the total cost to the Firm
relating to all Licenses identified in
response to Request O.3.
(1) did the Firm share License costs
with Person(s) outside the Firm? (Y/N)
If yes:
(a) State all Person(s) with whom
these costs are shared;
(b) state the total amount paid by
Person(s) outside the Firm; and
(c) state the total amount paid by the
Firm.
2. For all forecasted costs expected to
be paid after the date of this Request
a. State the total cost expected to be
paid by the Firm relating to all
Litigations identified in Request O.2.
b. State the total cost expected to be
paid by all other Person(s) outside the
Firm relating to all Litigations identified
in Request O.2.
c. State the total cost expected to be
paid by the Firm relating to all License
Agreements identified in Request O.3.
d. State the total cost expected to be
paid by all other Person(s) outside the
Firm relating to all License Agreements
identified in Request O.3.
e. Produce, and provide a narrative
response identifying by Reference
Number, all Reports related to all
forecasted costs identified in response
to this Request.
3. Produce, and provide a narrative
response identifying by Reference
Number, Documents sufficient to show
all costs and payments identified in
response to this Request.
Q. Aggregate Revenue Information
1. Separately, for each year since
January 1, 2009
a. State the total revenue received by
the Firm relating to all Transfers
identified in response to Request N.
(1) did the Firm share Transfer
revenue with Person(s) outside the
Firm? (Y/N) If yes:
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(a) State all Person(s) with whom this
revenue is shared;
(b) state the amount of revenue shared
with Person(s) outside the Firm; and
(c) state the amount retained by the
Firm.
b. State the total revenue received by
the Firm relating to all Litigations
identified in response to Request O.2.
(1) did the Firm share Litigation
revenue with Person(s) outside the
Firm? (Y/N) If yes:
(a) State all Person(s) with whom this
revenue is shared;
(b) state the total revenue shared with
Person(s) outside the Firm; and
(c) state the amount retained by the
Firm.
c. State the total revenue received by
the Firm relating to all Licenses
identified in response to Request O.3.
(1) did the Firm share License
revenue with Person(s) outside the
Firm? (Y/N) If yes:
(a) State all Person(s) with whom this
revenue is shared;
(b) state the total revenue shared with
Person(s) outside the Firm; and
(c) state the amount retained by the
Firm.
2. For all forecasted revenues
expected to be received by the Firm
after the date of this Request.
a. State the total revenue expected to
be received by the Firm relating to all
Transfers identified in Request N.
b. State the total revenue expected to
be received by all other Person(s)
outside the Firm relating to all Transfers
identified in Request N.
c. State the total revenue expected to
be received by the Firm relating to all
Litigations identified in Request O.2.
d. State the total revenue expected to
be received by all other Person(s)
outside the Firm relating to all
Litigations identified in Request O.2.
e. State the total revenue expected to
be received by the Firm relating to all
License Agreements identified in
Request O.3.
f. State the total revenue expected to
be received by all other Person(s)
outside the Firm relating to all License
Agreements identified in Request O.3.
3. Produce, and provide a narrative
response identifying by Reference
Number, Documents sufficient to show
all revenue identified in response to
Request Q.
4. Produce, and provide a narrative
response identifying by Reference
Number, all Reports related to all
forecasted revenues identified in
response to Request Q.
5. Has the Firm received any revenue,
either directly or indirectly, from the
Assertion of any Wireless Patent by any
Person not otherwise identified in
response these requests? (Y/N) If yes:
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a. State the Person(s) who paid this
revenue to the Firm;
b. state the total amount of revenue
received;
c. state the total amount of revenue
expected to be received in the future;
and
d. for each Person who paid this
revenue to the Firm, provide a narrative
response identifying the amount paid,
identifying the amount expected to be
paid in the future, and describing the
Assertion.
6. Has the Firm received any revenue,
either directly or indirectly, from the
Transfer of any Wireless Patent by any
Person not otherwise identified in
response these requests? (Y/N) If yes:
a. State the Person(s) who paid this
revenue to the Firm;
b. state the total amount of revenue
received;
c. state the total amount of revenue
expected to be received in the future;
and
d. for each Person who paid this
revenue to the Firm, provide a narrative
response identifying the amount paid,
identifying the amount expected to be
paid in the future, and describing the
Transfer.
Pending this information collection,
the destruction, mutilation, alteration,
or falsification of documentary evidence
within the possession or control of a
person, partnership or corporation
subject to the FTC Act is subject to
criminal prosecution. 15 U.S.C. 50, see
also 18 U.S.C. 1505.
III. Confidentiality
In connection with its requests, the
Commission will receive information of
a confidential nature. Under Section 6(f)
of the FTC Act, such information is
protected from disclosure while it
remains confidential commercial
information. 15 U.S.C. 46(f).
IV. Estimated Hours and Labor Cost
Burden
The proposed information collection
is a one-time endeavor that, upon
completion by study subjects, will not
involve repeated responses. In its prior
Federal Register notice, the FTC
estimated that a recipient’s burden for
the PAE study would range from 90 to
400 hours depending on the recipient.1
Several commenters noted that the
FTC’s initial estimate of recipients’
burden was accurate, while others
stated that the FTC’s initial burden
estimates were too low. The initial hour
burden estimates are consistent with
previous PRA estimates and the FTC’s
experience with information requests
that require financial data, narrative
responses, and production of preexisting documents. The Generic Drug
Report, as well as the Authorized
Generic Drugs report, involved requests
for financial information and responses
to questions, and the estimated hours
burdens varied depending on the
number of drugs covered. Similarly, the
burden in this study will vary
depending on a subject’s number of
patents and volume of assertion activity.
In the first generic drugs study, the
burden was an estimated 100–500
hours, and in the authorized generics
study, the burden was an estimated 138
to 456 hours.2
The Commission believes that its
estimates are realistic given the
modifications that it has made to the
requests, which now reflect many of the
public comments’ suggestions for
reducing burden. For example, many
requests that originally called for ‘‘all’’
documents in a given category now
request a defined subset of such
documents. Several comments stated
that requests would unduly burden
companies with large portfolios of
patents that were developed by the
company’s employees. The proposed
information collection has been
modified to avoid unreasonable burdens
on such companies. Moreover, in
response to concerns about using a
single set of requests for PAE Firms,
Manufacturing Firms, and NPEs, there
are now two sets of proposed
information requests: one for PAE firms,
and a second for Manufacturers and
NPEs.
A. Estimated Hours Burden
PAE firms
(hours)
Task
firm information; prepare response .........................................................................
patent information; prepare response .....................................................................
patent portfolio information; prepare response .......................................................
acquisition information; prepare response ..............................................................
transfer information; prepare response ...................................................................
assertion information; prepare response .................................................................
aggregate revenue information; prepare response .................................................
aggregate cost information; prepare response .......................................................
15–35
40–65
40–65
70–150
70–150
150–300
20–40
20–40
15–35
N/A
N/A
N/A
70–150
150–300
20–40
20–40
Total ..................................................................................................................................................................
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Identify,
Identify,
Identify,
Identify,
Identify,
Identify,
Identify,
Identify,
obtain,
obtain,
obtain,
obtain,
obtain,
obtain,
obtain,
obtain,
and
and
and
and
and
and
and
and
organize
organize
organize
organize
organize
organize
organize
organize
Manufacturers
and NPEs
(hours)
425–845
275–565
FTC staff anticipates that the
cumulative hours burden to respond to
the information requests will be
between 275 and 845 hours per firm.
Nonetheless, staff conservatively
assumes that the burden for each of the
approximately 25 PAE firms will be 845
hours, and the cumulative estimated
burden will be approximately 21,125
hours. Staff conservatively assumes that
the burden for each of the
approximately 15 manufacturers and
NPEs will be between 565 hours per
1 78
FR 61,352, 61357 (Oct. 3, 2013).
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19:11 May 16, 2014
Jkt 232001
firm, and the cumulative estimated
burden will be approximately 8,475
hours. Given these conservative
estimates, the total estimated burden is
approximately 29,600 hours. These
estimates attempt to include any time
spent by other entities affiliated with
the Firm that received the information
requests, however, the numbers may be
greater or lesser depending on the
numbers of affiliated entities. The FTC
seeks to understand the number of
affiliated entities as part of the
Information Requests.
B. Estimated Cost Burden
It is difficult to calculate precisely
labor costs associated with this data
production. Labor costs entail varying
compensation levels of management
and/or support staff among firms of
different sizes. In addition, comments
responding to the First Notice suggested
that outside counsel will be involved in
responding to the requests.
2 66 FR 12,512, 12,522–23 (2001); 72 FR 25,304,
25314 (2007).
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Consequently, although financial, legal,
and clerical personnel may be involved
in the information collection process,
FTC staff now assumes that midmanagement personnel and outside
legal counsel will handle most of the
tasks involved in gathering and
producing responsive information, and
has applied an average rate of $250/hour
for all labor costs. Thus the labor costs
per company may range between
$68,750 (275 hours × $250/hour) and
$211,250 (845 hours × $250/hour).
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
C. Estimated Annual Capital or Other
Non-labor Costs
Staff anticipates that the capital or
other non-labor costs associated with
the information requests will be
minimal. Although the information
requests may require the respondent to
store copies of the requested
information provided to the
Commission, responding Firms should
already have in place the means to store
information of the volume requested.
Respondents may need to purchase
minimal office supplies to respond to
the request. Staff estimates that each
respondent will spend $500 for such
costs regarding the information request,
for a total additional non-labor cost
burden of $20,000 ($500 × 40 Firms).
V. Request for Comment
Under the PRA, 44 U.S.C. 3501–3521,
federal agencies must obtain approval
from OMB for each collection of
information they conduct or sponsor.
‘‘Collection of information’’ means
agency requests or requirements that
members of the public submit reports,
keep records, or provide information to
a third party. 44 U.S.C. 3502(3); 5 CFR
1320.3(c). As required by Section
3506(c)(2) of the PRA, 44 U.S.C. 3506,
on October 3, 2013, the FTC published
its First Notice seeking public
comments on a study of PAE activity.
The FTC will provide OMB with the
comments received in response to the
First Notice.
Pursuant to Section 3507 of the PRA,
additional public comments regarding
this information collection request may
be submitted to OMB and the FTC.
Comments received by June 18, 2014
will be considered. Written comments
to OMB should be addressed to: Office
of Information and Regulatory Affairs,
Office of Management and Budget,
Attention: Desk Officer for the Federal
Trade Commission, New Executive
Office Building, Docket Library, Room
10102, 725 17th Street NW.,
Washington, DC 20503. Comments sent
to OMB by U.S. postal mail, however,
are subject to delays due to heightened
security precautions. Thus, comments
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17:17 May 16, 2014
Jkt 232001
instead should be sent by facsimile to
(202) 395–5167.
Postal mail addressed to the
Commission is also subject to delay due
to heightened security screening. As a
result, we encourage you to submit your
comments online. To submit your
comment to the FTC online, write ‘‘PAE
Reports: Paperwork Comment; Project
No. P131203’’ on your comment, and
file your comment online at https://
ftcpublic.commentworks.com/ftc/
paestudypra2, by following the
instructions on the web-based form. If
you prefer to file your comment on
paper, mail your comment to the
following address: Federal Trade
Commission, Office of the Secretary,
600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW., Suite
CC–5610, (Annex J), Washington, DC
20580, or deliver your comment to the
following address: Federal Trade
Commission, Office of the Secretary,
Constitution Center, 400 7th Street SW.,
5th Floor, Suite 5610, (Annex J),
Washington, DC 20024. If this Notice
appears at https://www.regulations.gov/
#!home, you also may file a comment
through that Web site.
Your comment, including your name
and your state, will be placed on the
public record of this proceeding,
including, to the extent practicable, on
the public Commission Web site, at
https://www.ftc.gov/os/
publiccomments.shtm. As a matter of
discretion, the Commission tries to
remove individuals’ home contact
information from comments before
placing them on the Commission Web
site.
Because your comment will be made
public, you are solely responsible for
making sure that your comment does
not include any sensitive personal
information, like anyone’s Social
Security number, date of birth, driver’s
license number or other state
identification number or foreign country
equivalent, passport number, financial
account number, or credit or debit card
number.
You are also solely responsible for
making sure that your comment does
not include any sensitive health
information, like medical records or
other individually identifiable health
information. In addition, do not include
any ‘‘[t]rade secret or any commercial or
financial information which is * * *
privileged or confidential,’’ as discussed
in Section 6(f) of the FTC Act, 15 U.S.C.
46(f), and FTC Rule 4.10(a)(2), 16 CFR
4.10(a)(2). In particular, do not include
competitively sensitive information
such as costs, sales statistics,
inventories, formulas, patterns, devices,
manufacturing processes, or customer
names in your comment.
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If you seek confidential treatment for
your comment, you must file it in paper
form, with a request for confidential
treatment, and you must follow the
procedure explained in FTC Rule 4.9(c),
16 CFR 4.9(c).3 Your comment will be
kept confidential only if the FTC
General Counsel grants your request in
accordance with the law and the public
interest.
Visit the Commission Web site at
https://www.ftc.gov to read this Notice
and the news release describing it. The
FTC Act and other laws that the
Commission administers permit the
collection of public comments to
consider and use in this proceeding as
appropriate. The Commission will
consider all timely and responsive
public comments that it receives on or
before June 18, 2014. You can find more
information, including routine uses
permitted by the Privacy Act, in the
Commission’s privacy policy, at https://
www.ftc.gov/ftc/privacy.htm.
By direction of the Commission.
Donald S. Clark,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2014–11484 Filed 5–16–14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6750–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND
HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention
[60Day–14–14AAO]
Proposed Data Collections Submitted
for Public Comment and
Recommendations
The Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC), as part of its
continuing effort to reduce public
burden, invites the general public and
other Federal agencies to take this
opportunity to comment on proposed
and/or continuing information
collections, as required by the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. To
request more information on the below
proposed project or to obtain a copy of
the information collection plan and
instruments, call 404–639–7570 or send
comments to LeRoy Richardson, 1600
Clifton Road, MS–D74, Atlanta, GA
30333 or send an email to omb@cdc.gov.
Comments submitted in response to
this notice will be summarized and/or
included in the request for Office of
3 In particular, the written request for confidential
treatment that accompanies the comment must
include the factual and legal basis for the request,
and must identify the specific portions of the
comment to be withheld from the public record. See
FTC Rule 4.9(c), 16 CFR 4.9(c).
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Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 96 (Monday, May 19, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 28715-28729]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-11484]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission for OMB
Review; Comment Request
AGENCY: Federal Trade Commission (``FTC'' or ``Commission'').
ACTION: Notice; request for comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The FTC proposes to collect information about Patent Assertion
Entity (``PAE'') organization, structure, economic relationships, and
activity, including acquisition, assertion, litigation, and licensing
practices. This is the second of two Federal Register Notices required
by the Paperwork Reduction Act (``PRA''). Last year, the FTC published
a Federal Register Notice (``First Notice'') and received public
comments on its proposal. Through this Second Notice, the Commission
seeks additional public comments on, and Office of Management and
Budget (``OMB'') review and approval of, the revised proposed
collection of information discussed in this Notice.
DATES: Comments must be received on or before June 18, 2014.
ADDRESSES: Interested parties may file a comment online or on paper, by
following the instructions in the Request for Comment sub-section of
the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section below. Write ``PAE Reports:
Paperwork Comment; Project No. P131203'' on your comment, and file your
comment online at https://ftcpublic.commentworks.com/ftc/paestudypra2,
by following the instructions on the web-based form. If you prefer to
file your comment on paper, mail your comment to the following address:
Federal Trade Commission, Office of the Secretary, 600 Pennsylvania
Avenue NW., Suite CC-5610, (Annex J), Washington, DC 20580, or deliver
your comment to the following address: Federal Trade Commission, Office
of the Secretary, Constitution Center, 400 7th Street SW., 5th Floor,
Suite 5610, (Annex J), Washington, DC 20024.
Comments on the proposed collection of information should also be
submitted to OMB. If sent by U.S. mail, they should be addressed to
Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and
Budget, Attention: Desk Officer for the Federal Trade Commission, New
Executive Office Building, Docket Library, Room 10102, 725 17th Street
NW., Washington, DC 20503. Comments sent to OMB by U.S. postal mail,
however, are subject to delays due to heightened security precautions.
Thus, comments instead should be sent by facsimile to (202) 395-5167.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information
should be addressed to Suzanne Munck, Chief Counsel for Intellectual
Property and Deputy Director, Office of Policy Planning, Federal Trade
Commission, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20580; (202)
326-2429; paestudy@ftc.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The proposed collection of information is
necessary to study the likely competitive effects of PAE activity. PAEs
are firms with a business model based primarily on purchasing patents
and then attempting to generate revenue by litigating against, or
licensing to, persons who are already practicing the patented
technology. Currently, the public record of PAE activity focuses on
publicly-available litigation data. Litigation, however, is only part
of the picture. PAE activity encompasses a wide range of non-public
behavior related to acquisition and licensing practices, together with
structural issues related to organization and economic relationships.
Data analyzing this behavior is not available through the public record
and it is not available from a single private source.
Members of Congress support the FTC's proposed study. Urging the
Commission, ``to address the abusive practices of patent assertion
entities (PAEs) that are a drag on innovation, competition, and our
economy,'' Senator Klobuchar ``appreciate[s] Chairwoman Ramirez's
intention to ask the full Commission to commence a study under Section
6(b) of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC Act).'' Representative
Lipinski ``strongly urge[s] the FTC to follow through with [a Section
6(b) study of PAE activity],'' and Representative Murphy ``looks
forward to reviewing the results of [the FTC's] inquiry.''
PAE activity is a growing issue for the United States. For example,
last June, the Executive Office of the President reported that ``suits
brought by PAEs have tripled in just the last two years, rising from 29
percent of all infringement suits to 62 percent of all infringement
suits,'' and this activity may have ``a negative impact on innovation
and economic growth.'' In February of this year, the President renewed
his call for legislation to combat abusive PAE practices, and several
bills are pending in Congress addressing reforms directed toward PAE
activity.
The Commission has studied PAE activity for several years, and its
research points to the need for an empirical record addressing non-
public PAE activity. The Commission first discussed the rise of the PAE
business model in its 2011 Report, ``The Evolving IP Marketplace:
Aligning Patent Notice and Remedies with Competition.'' In that report,
the Commission defined a PAE as a firm with a business model
[[Page 28716]]
focused primarily on purchasing and asserting patents, typically
against operating companies with products currently on the market. On
December 10, 2012, the Commission and the Antitrust Division of the
United States Department of Justice (DOJ) jointly sponsored a workshop
to explore the claimed harms and efficiencies of PAE activity, and the
impact of PAE activity on innovation and competition more broadly.
Workshop panelists and commenters associated with the 2011 Report
and the 2012 workshop provided anecdotal evidence of potential harms
and efficiencies of PAE activity. These participants stressed the lack
of comprehensive empirical evidence, and urged the Federal Trade
Commission use its Section 6(b) to collect information on PAE
acquisition, litigation, and licensing practices. Respondents to the
Commission's first Federal Register Notice announcing the study
likewise stressed the need for Commission research in this area.
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has also recognized
deficiencies in the existing record of non-public PAE activity. As part
of the America Invents Act, Congress directed GAO to study the costs,
benefits, and economic impact of PAE litigation, and to make policy
recommendations. GAO issued its report on August 22, 2013. It found
that over the period 2007 to 2011, the share of all patent lawsuits
accounted for by PAEs rose from 17 percent to 24 percent, and that
suits by PAEs included about twice as many defendants as suits by
manufacturing companies. GAO, however, emphasized several data
deficiencies that limited its ability to examine the issues identified
by Congress. First, although it reported that patent assertions
frequently do not result in litigation, GAO could not obtain reliable
data on such assertions. Second, GAO could not collect information on
litigation costs from court records or the sample data, nor obtain
information on the settlements that resolve most cases.
Responding to these requests, and recognizing its own role in
competition policy and advocacy, the Commission proposes a Section 6(b)
study that will provide a better understanding of the organizational
structure and economic relationships of PAEs, as well as their activity
and associated costs and benefits. The Commission will use the study to
publish a report describing non-public PAE activity that would
otherwise not be available.
I. Public Comments/Consultation Outside the Agency and Actions Taken
On October 3, 2013, the FTC published the First Notice soliciting
public comments on this study of PAE activity. The FTC received 70
public comments from a wide range of parties including individuals,
firms, and trade associations. The majority of commenters expressed
support for the goals of the FTC's study and recognized that the data
necessary to understand the scope and economic implications of PAE
activity is not currently available. Consistent with the December 2012
workshop comments, some respondents focused on the possible harms of
PAE activity, whereas others focused on the possible efficiencies of
PAE models.
Many commenters stated that the benefits of the study would
outweigh the costs to subjects of compliance. Commenters, however, did
not agree on the precise financial burden the study would impose. Some
stated that the FTC's initial burden estimates were accurate, whereas
others suggested that the estimates were too low. The FTC has addressed
these comments in its revised estimates of financial burden.
Some commenters expressed confusion regarding the questions
directed to PAEs and the questions directed to manufacturers and NPEs.
The FTC clarifies that the study will consist of two parts. The primary
focus of the study consists of a descriptive examination of the PAE
business model. The second part is a narrowly focused comparative case
study of PAE activity in the wireless communications sector.
Consequently, the FTC separated the questions addressed to PAEs from
the questions addressed to manufacturers and NPEs.
In the original information requests, the Commission requested
production of all documents in many categories, such as a PAE's
internal patent valuations, assertion strategy documents,
communications with targets of assertion, and analyses of patent
portfolios. Several commenters suggested that an ``all documents''
request would result in voluminous and duplicative information. In
response, the revised requests focus on agreements and on strategic
documents provided to officers and directors or shared with persons
outside the firm.
The original requests also required subjects to identify patents
subject to commitments such as licensing and standard-setting
declarations. Commenters suggested that these requests may be unduly
burdensome when the firm has made commitments on a field of use or
subject matter basis--without identifying specific patent numbers.
Commenters also suggested that the original requests may require
respondents to conduct legal research to determine whether specific
patents are subject to broad commitments. To address these comments,
the FTC will ask respondents to describe the commitments as they have
been declared to standard-setting organizations and third parties.
In response to additional comments addressing burden, the FTC has
modified some of the defined terms and refined the information requests
to more accurately target information that is most likely to be
important for the study. The FTC also has revised the date range of the
information requests from the period beginning January 1, 2008 to the
period beginning January 1, 2009.
Finally, the Commission worked with the United States Patent and
Trademark Office (USPTO) to collect USPTO's publicly available data.
Wherever practical, to reduce respondents' burden, the FTC will not ask
for responses that are publicly available through the USPTO.
II. Description of the Collection of Information and Proposed Use
The proposed study will add significantly to the existing
literature and evidence about PAE form, structure, organization, and
behavior. Earlier studies have focused primarily on publicly-available
litigation data and concluded that PAE litigation activity is on the
rise. The Commission, however, has unique Congressional authority to
collect nonpublic information, such as licensing agreements, patent
acquisition information, and cost and revenue data, that will provide a
more complete picture of PAE activity.
Because the Commission believes a more detailed study will enhance
the quality of the policy debate surrounding PAE activity, it proposes
information requests directed to answering the following questions:
How do PAEs organize their corporate legal structure,
including parents, subsidiaries, and affiliates?
What types of patents do PAEs hold and how do they
organize their holdings?
How do PAEs acquire patents; who are the prior patent
owners; and how do they compensate prior patent owners?
How do PAEs engage in assertion activity (i.e., how do
they behave with respect to demands, litigation, and licensing)?
What does assertion activity cost PAEs?
[[Page 28717]]
What do PAEs earn through assertion activity? and
How does PAE patent assertion behavior compare to that of
other entities that assert patents?
The FTC's study will consist of two parts. The primary focus of the
study consists of a broad descriptive examination of the PAE business
model. The second part is a narrowly focused comparative case study of
patent assertion activity in the wireless communications sector. The
information requests for each part are identified below.
For the broad analysis, the FTC proposes sending information
requests to approximately 25 PAEs that use different organizational
models and assertion strategies. For instance, the proposed requests
seek information on the composition of PAE portfolios (information such
as the age and field of patents); whether any patents are essential to
any standards or encumbered by other licensing obligations; the costs
of acquiring patents, as well as whether the PAEs share an economic
interest in their portfolios with other entities. The requests also
seek information about assertion activity, such as licensing and
litigation activity, and the costs from assertion.
The second part of the study compares how PAEs, manufacturing firms
and NPEs assert intellectual property in the wireless communications
sector. For example, the FTC seeks to explore whether the potential for
countersuit against manufacturing firms changes their respective
assertion behavior relative to PAE firms. While some commenters
suggested expanding the scope of the comparative case study, the FTC
proposes limiting that case study to the wireless communications sector
because that sector is relatively well-defined with a significant
amount of assertion activity by PAEs, manufacturing firms, and NPEs.
This limitation also permits the FTC to achieve its goal of performing
a comparative analysis of assertion behavior without imposing an undue
burden on study subjects. The FTC proposes sending information requests
to approximately 15 manufacturing firms and NPEs asserting patents in
this sector.
Definitions and Instructions
The following definitions and instructions apply to all Information
Requests:
``Acquire'' and ``Acquisition'' mean to purchase or obtain from
another Person any Legal Right to a Patent, or to purchase or obtain a
Person who Holds any Legal Right to a Patent. This definition does not
include the assignment of Legal Rights to a Patent by a Firm employee
who is bound to assign his or her Legal Rights to the Firm at the time
of invention.
``Assert'' and ``Assertion'' mean: (i) Any Demand; (ii) any civil
action threatened or commenced (by the Firm or other Person) relating
to any Patent; or (iii) any investigation pursuant to 19 U.S.C. 1337
threatened or initiated (by the Firm or other Person) relating to any
Patent. For Manufacturing Firms, ``Assert'' and ``Asserted'' do not
include sales of products manufactured by the Firm, or on behalf of the
Firm, that practice the claimed invention.
``Class'' and ``Subclass'' have the meanings defined by the United
States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
``Demand'' means any effort since January 1, 2009 to License any
Patent, in whole or in part, and any other attempt to generate revenue
by authorizing a Person outside the Firm to practice an invention
claimed in a Patent. Demand does not include complaints or pleadings
filed with a United States District Court or the United States
International Trade Commission.
``Documents'' means all electronically stored information, and
written, recorded, and graphic materials of every kind in the
possession, custody, or control of the Firm. Unless otherwise
specified, the term ``Documents'' excludes: (i) Bills of lading,
invoices, purchase orders, customs declarations, and other similar
documents of a purely transactional nature; (ii) architectural plans
and engineering blueprints; and (iii) documents solely relating to
environmental, human resources, OSHA, or ERISA compliance.
``Economic Interest'' means any right or claim to current or future
revenues derived from a Patent, including, but not limited to: Lump-sum
payments; royalties; access to other Patent(s) as part of a cross-
Licensing agreement; a debt or equity interest in a Person that Asserts
Patents; use of the Firm's Legal Rights to any Patent as collateral for
a Person's loan or investment; or any other form of compensation
relating to the Assertion, Acquisition, or Transfer of Patents Held by
the Firm. ``Economic Interest'' does not include shareholders of
publicly traded Firms that own less than 5% of the outstanding shares
of any class of stock in the Firm.
``Firm'' means the Person served with the information requests
described in this notice.
``Hold'' and ``Held'' mean to possess a Legal Right to a Patent.
``Legal Right'' means any ownership interest in, an exclusive
License to, or other rights adequate to License or enforce a Patent.
``Litigation'' means any civil action commenced in a United States
District Court or with the United States International Trade
Commission.
``License'' means authorization by the Patent holder to practice
the claimed invention, including, but not limited to, a covenant not to
sue and a covenant not to assert.
``Maintenance Fee(s)'' has the meaning defined by the USPTO.
``Patent'' means a United States patent or United States patent
application as defined by 35 U.S.C. 101, et seq.
``Patent Portfolio'' means a collection of patents Held by the
Firm, including all of the patents Held by the Firm and any sub-groups
into which the Firm organizes its patents.
``Person'' means any natural person, corporation, association,
firm, partnership, joint venture, trust, estate, agency, department,
bureau, governmental, judicial, or legal entity, however organized or
established.
``Reference Number'' means a Bates number or other sequential
identification number.
``Report'' means all studies, analyses, and reports which were
prepared by or for any officer(s) or director(s) of a corporate entity
(or, in the case of unincorporated entities, individuals exercising
similar functions) or presented to any Person outside the Firm
(including, but not limited to, investment presentations and documents
filed with the United States Internal Revenue Service or Securities and
Exchange Commission).
``Standard Setting Organization'' or ``SSO'' means any
organization, group, joint venture, or consortium that develop
standards for the design, performance, or other characteristics of
products or technologies.
``Transfer'' means the sale or exchange of any Legal Right to a
Patent, including for monetary or other consideration or for no
compensation.
``Wireless Chipset'' means any baseband processor, radio frequency
transceiver, integrated circuit, chip, or chipset, or any combination
thereof, and any related software, used to implement wireless
communication.
``Wireless Communications Device'' means any device, including
wireless chipsets, which implements wireless communication, including,
but not limited to, software, user equipment, base stations, and
network infrastructure.
[[Page 28718]]
``Wireless Patent'' means any Patent Asserted against a Wireless
Communication Device.
The Information Requests sent to Respondents will also have
procedural instructions, not included here.
Information Requests Directed to Approximately 25 PAE Firms:
The FTC will have PAE Firms respond to the following Information
Requests:
A. Identification of Report Author
Identify by full name, title, business address, telephone number,
email address, and official capacity the Person(s) who prepared or
supervised the preparation of the Firm's response to the Information
Requests.
B. Firm Information
1. State the Firm's complete legal name and all other names under
which it has done business since January 1, 2009, its corporate mailing
address, all addresses and Web sites from which it does or has done
business since January 1, 2009, and the date(s) and state(s) of its
incorporation.
2. Describe the Firm's business and corporate structure; provide an
organizational chart stating the names of all parents, wholly or
partially owned subsidiaries, incorporated or unincorporated divisions,
affiliates, branches, joint ventures, franchises, operations under
assumed names, Web sites, or other Person(s) over which the Firm
exercises or has exercised supervision or control since January 1,
2009. When responding to these Information Requests, separately provide
all information for the Firm and each related Person(s) identified in
response to Request B2.
3. Has more than one Person identified in response to Request B2
engaged in Assertions against the same Person? (Y/N) If yes, name the
Person(s) identified in response to Request B2 that made the
Assertions, name the Person subject to the Assertions, state the date
of each Assertion; and identify the Patent(s) related to each
Assertion.
4. Identify each Person(s) with a contractual or other legal right
or obligation to a share of revenues, profits, costs or other Economic
Interest in the Firm. For each such Person, describe the Person's
relationship with the Firm, including their percentage of ownership,
control, or other legal entitlement to a share of revenues, profits or
financial performance of the Firm and, if relevant, their positions and
responsibilities within the Firm.
C. Patent Information
1. For each Patent Held by the Firm since January 1, 2009
a. State the Person within the Firm who Holds the Patent, e.g. if
the Patent is Held by a Firm subsidiary, state the subsidiary.
b. State the Patent number.
c. State the Patent's priority date.
d. State the application to which the Patent claims earliest
priority.
e. Does the Patent expire either 17 years from the date of
issuance, if the Patent was filed before June 7, 1995, or 20 years from
the priority date, if the Patent was filed after June 7, 1995? (Y/N) If
no:
(1) State the Patent's expiration date; and
(2) produce, and provide a narrative response that identifies by
Reference Number, Documents sufficient to demonstrate the Patent's
expiration date.
f. Has the Patent been subject to review by the Patent and
Trademark Office since January 1, 2009? (Y/N) If yes:
(1) Provide the docket number for each review.
g. Do(es) any Person(s) outside the Firm Hold any Legal Rights to
the Patent? (Y/N) If yes:
(1) Identify the Person(s) who Hold(s) any Legal Rights to the
Patent;
(2) for each Person identified above, provide a narrative response
that identifies and describes the Legal Rights Held; and
(3) produce, and provide a narrative response that identifies by
Reference Number, all agreements relating to the Legal Rights Held.
h. Do(es) any Person(s) outside the Firm Hold an Economic Interest
in the Patent? (Y/N) If yes:
(1) Identify the Person(s) who Hold(s) any Economic Interest in the
Patent;
(2) for each Person identified above, provide a narrative response
that identifies and describes the Economic Interest Held; and
(3) produce, and provide a narrative response that identifies by
Reference Number, all agreements relating to the Economic Interest
Held.
i. Does the Firm have an exclusive License to the Patent? (Y/N) If
yes:
(1) Produce, and provide a narrative response that identifies by
Reference Number, the agreement(s) providing the exclusive License;
(2) produce, and provide a narrative response that identifies by
Reference Number, all Reports that evaluate or analyze the Firm's
reasons for entering into the exclusive License;
(3) if the exclusive License is limited by geography, list the
geographic restrictions; and
(4) if the exclusive License is limited by field of use:
(a) State the specific field of use restriction; and
(b) identify, from the following list, in which sector(s) is the
field of use restriction: Chemical, Computers & Communications, Drugs &
Medical, Semiconductors, Other Electrical & Electronic, Mechanical, or
Other.
j. Has the Firm Asserted the Patent? (Y/N) If yes:
(1) State whether the patent is a Wireless Patent; and
(2) identify, from the following list, in which sector(s) the
Patent was Asserted: Chemical, Computers & Communications, Drugs &
Medical, Semiconductors, Other Electrical & Electronic, Mechanical, or
Other.
k. Has the Firm included the Patent in any Demand? (Y/N)
l. Has the Firm brought Litigation involving the Patent? (Y/N)
m. Has the Firm Licensed the Patent to any Person(s)? (Y/N)
n. Has the Firm, or any other Person, assigned a value to the
Patent? (Y/N) If yes:
(1) State the date of the most recent valuation;
(2) state the amount of the most recent valuation;
(3) provide a narrative response identifying, by date and amount,
all prior valuations by, or on behalf of, the Firm; and
(4) produce, and provide a narrative response that identifies by
Reference Number, all related Reports.
o. State the number of known Assignments of the Patent before the
Patent was Acquired by the Firm. As part of your response do not
include the assignment of Legal Rights to a Patent by a Firm employee
who is bound to assign Legal Rights to the Firm at the time of
invention.
p. Provide a narrative response identifying all Person(s) to whom
the Patent was assigned before the Firm Acquired the Patent and the
date(s) of each assignment.
q. State whether the Patent was Asserted in Litigation before the
Firm Acquired the Patent. (Y/N) If yes:
(1) State the number of times the Patent was Asserted in Litigation
before the Firm Acquired the Patent;
(2) produce, and provide a narrative response that identifies by
Reference Number, all agreements relating to the Litigation, including
License, settlement, and non-disclosure agreements; and
(3) for each Litigation provide a narrative response:
(a) Identifying the Person(s) who Asserted the Patent;
[[Page 28719]]
(b) identifying the jurisdiction and docket number of each
Litigation;
(c) identifying all claims that were found infringed, valid, and
enforceable;
(d) stating whether an injunction or exclusion order issued; and
(e) stating the amount of any damages awarded.
2. To the extent not otherwise identified in response to the
Information Requests, if the Firm has entered into any agreement since
January 1, 2009 relating to any Economic Interest or Legal Right to any
Patent Held by the Firm, for each agreement
a. Submit the agreement, and provide a narrative response that
identifies it by Reference Number; and
b. Submit all Reports that evaluate or analyze the reasons for
entering into the agreement, and provide a narrative response that
identifies the Reference Number(s) of the Reports.
D. Standard Setting Commitments
1. If any Person has committed to a Standard Setting Organization
that it will License any Patent(s) Held by the Firm since January 1,
2009, for each commitment
a. State the date the commitment was made.
b. Identify the Person who made the commitment.
c. Identify the Standard Setting Organization.
d. Identify the standard(s) to which the commitment applies.
e. Provide a narrative response identifying any Wireless Patents
held by the Firm that are subject to the commitment.
f. State whether the commitment is to License the Patent(s) or any
Patent claim(s) on reasonable and non-discriminatory (RAND); fair,
reasonable, and non-discriminatory (FRAND); royalty-free (RF); or other
terms.
(1) if the commitment is to License on terms other than RAND,
FRAND, or RF, provide a narrative response describing the terms.
g. Is the commitment subject to a field of use restriction? (Y/N)
If yes:
(1) State the specific field of use restriction(s); and
(2) identify, from the following list, in which sector(s) is the
field of use restriction: Chemical, Computers & Communications, Drugs &
Medical, Semiconductors, Other Electrical & Electronic, Mechanical, or
Other.
h. Provide a narrative response listing all Patent(s) that any
Person has declared, or otherwise identified to any Person, as subject
to the commitment.
i. Produce, and provide a narrative response identifying by
Reference Number, all agreements embodying the commitment.
E. Patent Portfolio Information
1. For each Patent Portfolio Held by the Firm since January 1, 2009
a. Has the Firm organized the Portfolio by field of use? (Y/N) If
yes:
(1) State the specific field of use; and
(2) identify, from the following list, in which sector(s) is the
field of use: Chemical, Computers & Communications, Drugs & Medical,
Semiconductors, Other Electrical & Electronic, Mechanical, or Other.
b. Does the Firm identify the Patent(s) included in the Patent
Portfolio? (Y/N) If yes:
(1) provide a narrative response stating the numbers of the Patents
included in the Patent Portfolio.
c. Has the Firm assigned a value to the Patent Portfolio? (Y/N) If
yes:
(1) State the date of the most recent valuation;
(2) state the amount of the most recent valuation;
(3) provide a narrative response identifying, by date and amount,
all prior valuations by, or on behalf of, the Firm; and
(4) produce, and provide a narrative response identifying by
Reference Number, all related Reports.
d. Produce, and provide a narrative response identifying by
Reference Number, all Reports that evaluate how the Firm organizes and
names the Portfolio and the Firm's reasons or business strategy for
organizing the Patent Portfolio and for allocating specific Patent(s)
into any identified Patent Portfolio.
e. To the extent not identified above, provide a narrative response
describing how the Firm organizes and names the Portfolio.
F. Patent Acquisition Information
1. For each transaction in which the Firm Acquired Patent(s) since
January 1, 2009
a. State the date of the transaction.
b. State the Person who Acquired the Patent(s).
c. State the Person(s) from whom the Patent(s) were Acquired.
(1) did the Firm Acquire the Patent(s) from a named inventor of the
Patent? (Y/N)
(2) did the Firm Acquire the Patent(s) from an employer of the
named inventor? (Y/N)
(3) did the Firm Acquire the Patent from a Person that the Firm
identifies as a Patent Assertion Entity? (Y/N)
d. State the total number of Patents Acquired in this transaction.
e. Did the Firm Acquire any Wireless Patent(s) in this transaction?
(Y/N)
f. For each Patent Acquired in the transaction:
(1) State the Patent Number.
(2) did the Firm assign the Patent in connection with this
transaction? (Y/N) If yes:
(a) was the assignment recorded with the United States Patent and
Trademark Office? (Y/N)
(3) did the Firm obtain an exclusive License to the Patent in
connection with the transaction? (Y/N)
(4) did the Firm License the Patent back to its previous owner? (Y/
N)
g. Did the Firm assume existing License obligations for the
Patent(s)? (Y/N) If yes:
(1) State the total number of License obligations assumed;
(2) state the total revenue obtained by the Firm as a result of
assuming existing License obligations to the date of this request; and
(3) state the total revenue expected to be obtained by the Firm in
the future as a result of assuming existing License obligations.
h. Did the Firm Acquire the Patent(s) in connection with any
proceeding before a United States Bankruptcy Court? (Y/N) If yes:
(1) State the jurisdiction; and
(2) state the docket number.
i. For each Person receiving payment as a result of this
transaction:
(1) State the Person to whom the payment was made.
(a) was the Person a named inventor of a Patent included in the
transaction? (Y/N)
(b) was the Person an employer of a named inventor of a Patent
included in the transaction? (Y/N)
(c) was the Patent(s) Acquired from the Person? (Y/N)
(2) did the Firm make a lump-sum payment(s), i.e. a payment not
directly affected by the Firm's future revenue or unit sales, to this
Person to Acquire the Patents? (Y/N) If yes:
(a) State the total amount of the lump-sum payment(s) made;
(b) state the total amount of the lump-sum payment(s) expected to
be made in the future;
(c) if any agreement defines the lump-sum payment terms, produce,
and provide a narrative response identifying by Reference Number, the
agreement; and
(d) provide a narrative response describing the method for
calculating the payment.
(3) did the Firm pay, or is the Firm expecting to pay, an on-going
payment, i.e., a payment that is directly affected by either the Firm's
future revenue or unit sales, to this Person to Acquire the Patent(s)?
(Y/N) If yes:
(a) State the total amount paid in on-going payments, by calendar
year, to the date of this Request;
[[Page 28720]]
(b) state the total amount from on-going payments expected to be
made in the future derived from the Patents Acquired;
(c) if any agreement defines the payment terms, produce, and
provide a narrative response identifying by Reference Number, the
agreement; and
(d) provide a narrative response describing the method for
calculating the past and future ongoing payment(s).
j. Does the Acquisition involve a cross-License? (Y/N) If yes:
(1) State the date of the cross-License agreement.
(2) has the Firm assigned a value to the cross-License? (Y/N) If
yes:
(a) State the date of the most recent valuation;
(b) state the amount of the most recent valuation;
(c) provide a narrative response identifying, by date and amount,
all prior valuations by, or on behalf of, the Firm; and
(d) produce, and provide a narrative response identifying by
Reference Number, all related Reports.
(3) produce, and provide a narrative response identifying by
Reference Number, the cross-License; and
(4) produce, and provide a narrative response identifying by
Reference Number, all related Reports.
k. Did any Person outside the Firm financially contribute to the
Acquisition? (Y/N) If yes:
(1) State the Person(s) who contributed to the Acquisition;
(2) state the total amount contributed by other Person(s) to the
Acquisition;
(3) state the total amount expected to be contributed by other
Person(s) in the future as a result of the Acquisition;
(4) produce, and provide a narrative response identifying by
Reference Number, all related agreements;
(5) produce, and provide a narrative response identifying by
Reference Number, all related Reports; and
(6) for each Person identified, provide a narrative response
stating each Person's financial contribution, the method for
calculating this amount, and each Person's Legal Right to the
Patent(s).
l. Do(es) any Person(s) outside the Firm Hold any Legal Rights to
any of the Patents Acquired in this transaction? (Y/N) If yes:
(1) State the Person(s) who Holds any Legal Rights to any Acquired
Patents;
(2) produce, and provide a narrative response identifying by
Reference Number, all related agreements;
(3) produce, and provide a narrative response identifying by
Reference Number, all related Reports; and
(4) for each Person identified, provide a narrative response
identifying each Person's Legal Rights, and the Patent(s) to which the
Person Holds each Legal Right.
m. Produce, and provide a narrative response identifying by
Reference Number, all Reports related to the Acquisition.
n. Produce, and provide a narrative response identifying by
Reference Number, all agreements related to the Acquisition.
2. To the extent not identified in these Information Requests,
produce, and provide a narrative response identifying by Reference
Number, all agreements between the Firm and any Person executed since
January 1, 2009 relating to any Acquisition by the Firm of any Legal
Right to a Patent
a. for any such agreement produced, also produce, and provide a
narrative response identifying by Reference Number, all Reports that
(i) evaluate or analyze the reasons for entering into the agreement or
(ii) evaluate or analyze the calculation of any payment relating to the
Acquisition.
G. Patent Transfer Information
1. For each transaction in which the Firm Transferred Patent(s)
since January 1, 2009
a. State the date of the transaction.
b. State the Person(s) who Transferred the Patent(s).
c. State the Person(s) to whom the Patent(s) were Transferred.
(1) did the Firm Transfer the Patent(s) to a Person that the Firm
identifies as a Patent Assertion Entity? (Y/N)
d. State the total number of Patent(s) Transferred in the
transaction.
e. Did the Firm transfer any Wireless Patent(s) in this
transaction? (Y/N)
f. For each Patent Transferred in the transaction:
(1) State the Patent number.
(2) did the Firm assign the Patent in connection with the
transaction? (Y/N) If yes:
(a) was the assignment recorded with the United States Patent and
Trademark Office? (Y/N)
(3) did the Firm grant an exclusive License to the Patent(s) in
connection with the transaction? (Y/N)
g. Did the Firm transfer existing License obligations to the
Patent(s)? (Y/N) If yes:
(1) State the total number of License obligations transferred; and
(2) state the total revenue received by the Firm from these
Licenses.
h. Did the Firm Transfer the Patent(s) in connection with any
proceeding before a United States Bankruptcy Court? (Y/N) If yes:
(1) State the jurisdiction; and
(2) state the docket number.
i. Was the Firm paid a lump-sum payment(s), i.e. a payment not
directly affected by the transferee's future revenue or unit sales, to
Transfer the Patent(s)? (Y/N) If yes, for each Person making payments
to the Firm:
(1) State the Person from whom the payment(s) was received;
(2) state the total amount of the lump-sum payment(s) received;
(3) state the total amount of the lump-sum payment(s) expected to
be received in the future;
(4) if any agreement(s) define(s) the payment terms, produce, and
provide a narrative response identifying by Reference Number, the
agreement(s); and
(5) provide a narrative response describing the method for
calculating the payment(s).
j. Did the Firm receive, or is it receiving, an on-going payment,
i.e., a payment that is directly affected by either the transferee's
future revenue or unit sales, from the Person(s) receiving the
Patent(s)? (Y/N) If yes, for each Person making payments to the Firm:
(1) State the Person(s) from whom the payment(s) are received;
(2) state the total amount of the on-going payments received from
this Person(s), by calendar year, made to the date of this Request;
(3) state the total amount of on-going payments expected to be
received in the future;
(4) if any agreement(s) define(s) the payment terms, produce, and
provide a narrative response identifying by Reference Number, the
agreement(s); and
(5) provide a narrative response describing the method for
calculating the on-going payment(s).
k. Does the Transfer involve a cross-License? (Y/N) If yes:
(1) State the date of the cross-License agreement;
(2) has the Firm assigned a value to the cross-License? (Y/N) If
yes:
(a) State the date of the most recent valuation;
(b) state the amount of the most recent valuation;
(c) provide a narrative response identifying, by date and amount,,
all prior valuations by, or on behalf of, the Firm; and
(d) produce, and provide a narrative response identifying by
Reference Number, all related Reports.
(3) produce, and provide a narrative response identifying by
Reference Number, the cross-License; and
(4) produce, and provide a narrative response identifying by
Reference Number, all related Reports.
[[Page 28721]]
l. Did any Person outside the Firm share in the proceeds from the
Transfer? (Y/N) If yes:
(1) State the Person(s) who shared in the proceeds from the
Transfer;
(2) state the total amount shared with other Person(s) to the date
of this Request;
(3) state the total amount expected to be shared with other
Person(s) in the future;
(4) produce, and provide a narrative response identifying by
Reference Number, all related agreements;
(5) produce, and provide a narrative response identifying by
Reference Number, all related Reports; and
(6) for each Person identified, provide a narrative response
stating the amount shared with each Person, the amount expected to be
shared in the future, and the method for calculating this amount.
m. Produce, and provide a narrative response identifying by
Reference Number, all Reports related to the Transfer.
n. Produce, and provide a narrative response identifying by
Reference Number, all agreements related to the Transfer.
2. To the extent not identified in these Information Requests,
produce, and provide a narrative response identifying by Reference
Number, all agreements between the Firm and any Person executed since
January 1, 2009 relating to any Transfer by the Firm of any Legal Right
to a Patent.
a. For any such agreement produced, also produce, and provide a
narrative response identifying by Reference Number, all Reports that
(i) evaluate or analyze the reasons for entering into the agreement or
(ii) evaluate or analyze the calculation of any payment relating to the
Acquisition.
H. Patent Assertion Information
1. Demand Information: For each Demand made by, or on behalf of,
the Firm since January 1, 2009.
a. State the date of the Demand.
b. State the Person(s) who made the Demand, e.g. the Firm or one of
its related Person(s).
c. State the Person(s) to whom the Demand was made.
d. State the Patent(s) that formed the basis of the Demand.
e. Did the Demand relate to a Wireless Patent? (Y/N)
f. Identify, from the following list, in which sector(s) the Demand
was made: Chemical, Computers & Communications, Drugs & Medical,
Semiconductors, Other Electrical & Electronic, Mechanical, or Other.
g. Was the Demand limited to geographic area(s)? (Y/N) If yes:
(1) Identify the geographic area(s).
h. State all accused product(s) relating to the Demand.
i. Produce, and provide a narrative response identifying by
Reference Number, a copy of each Demand Document and all appendices,
including, but not limited to, claim charts, and all Reports related to
the Demand.
2. Litigation Information: For each Litigation commenced since
January 1, 2009 relating to a Patent Held by the Firm, or a Patent in
which the Firm has an Economic Interest, separately for each Person
(collectively including its parents, subsidiaries, and affiliates)
named as a defendant (if the Firm is a plaintiff) or as a declaratory
judgment plaintiff (if the Firm is a defendant).
a. State the jurisdiction in which the Litigation was commenced.
b. State the docket number of the Litigation.
c. State the date the Litigation was commenced.
d. State all plaintiffs named or otherwise joined in the
Litigation.
e. State the defendant (including parents, subsidiaries, and
affiliates) named or otherwise joined in the Litigation.
f. State all Patents Asserted.
g. Was any Patent Asserted a Wireless Patent? (Y/N)
h. Identify, from the following list, in which sector(s) the
Patents were asserted: Chemical, Computers & Communications, Drugs &
Medical, Semiconductors, Other Electrical & Electronic, Mechanical, or
Other.
i. Produce, and provide a narrative response identifying by
Reference Number, all orders relating to all dispositive motions.
j. Produce, and provide a narrative response identifying by
Reference Number, all expert reports exchanged during Litigation that
offer an opinion related to the valuation of the Patent(s) or damages
relating to the Litigation.
k. Is the Litigation pending? (Y/N) If no:
(1) State the date of termination.
(2) state whether the Litigation terminated upon successful
dispositive motion, jury verdict, judgment following trial on the
merits, appeal, settlement, or other (if other, explain).
(3) provide a narrative response identifying all Patent claims
found infringed, valid, and enforceable.
(4) did a permanent injunction, exclusion order, or cease and
desist order issue? (Y/N)
(5) did the court award damages? (Y/N) If yes:
(a) State the amount awarded; and
(b) state the amount actually paid to the prevailing party.
(6) did the court award fees pursuant to 35 U.S.C. 285? (Y/N) If
yes:
(a) State the fees awarded; and
(b) state the amount actually paid to the prevailing party.
(7) did the court issue sanctions pursuant to Rule 11 of the
Federal Rules of Civil Procedure? (Y/N)
(8) did the Litigation terminate upon exhaustion of appellate
process? (Y/N)
l. Did the Litigation settle? (Y/N) If yes:
(1) Did the settlement result in a License agreement? (Y/N) If yes:
(a) State the date of the License agreement;
(b) state the Licensee; and
(c) state the Licensor.
(2) when was settlement reached: after the complaint was filed;
after a successful dispositive motion, after a jury verdict, after
judgment following trial on the merits, after appeal, or other (if
other, explain)?
(3) did the Court issue an order construing any claim(s) of the
Patent(s) Asserted before settlement was reached? (Y/N) If yes:
(a) Produce, and provide a narrative response identifying by
Reference Number, the order.
(4) state the total revenue the Firm has received under the terms
of the settlement agreement from January 1, 2009 to the date of this
Request. Do not report revenue reported for any License identified in
response to H.3 below.
(a) was any part of this revenue received as a lump-sum payment,
i.e. a payment not directly affected by the defendant's future revenue
or unit sales? (Y/N) If yes:
(1) State the total revenue the Firm has received to the date of
this request in lump-sum payments; and
(2) state the total revenue the Firm expects to receive in the
future in lump-sum payments.
(b) was any part of this revenue received as an on-going payment,
i.e., a payment that is directly affected by either the defendant's
future revenue or unit sales? (Y/N) If yes:
(1) State the total revenue the Firm has received to the date of
this request in on-going payments; and
(2) state the total revenue the Firm expects to receive in the
future as on-going payments.
(c) is this revenue shared with anyone outside the Firm? (Y/N) If
yes:
(1) State the total amount shared outside the Firm.
(2) if the revenue is part of an ongoing payment, state the total
amount the Firm expects to share in the future.
(3) is any revenue shared pursuant to a contingency fee or risk-
sharing agreement? (Y/N) If yes:
[[Page 28722]]
(A) State the total amount shared pursuant to a contingency fee or
risk-sharing agreement;
(B) state the Person(s) outside the Firm who is party to the
agreement; and
(C) provide a narrative response stating the amount the Firm shared
with each Person, the amount the Firm expects to share in the future,
and describing the method for calculating this amount.
(4) state all Person(s) with whom this revenue is shared.
(A) are any of these Person(s) the named inventor of any Patent
Asserted in the Litigation? (Y/N)
(B) are any of these Person(s) the employer of the named inventor
of any Patent Asserted in the Litigation? (Y/N)
(5) produce, and provide a narrative response identifying by
Reference Number, all revenue sharing agreements.
(6) provide a narrative response stating the amount shared with
each Person and describing the method for calculating this amount.
m. State the Firm's total expenses relating to the Litigation from
January 1, 2009 to the date of this Request.
(1) are these expenses shared with any Person(s) outside the Firm?
(Y/N) If yes:
(a) State the total amount of expenses shared outside the Firm;
(b) identify all Person(s) with whom expenses are shared;
(c) produce, and provide a narrative response identifying by
Reference Number, all expense sharing agreements;
(d) produce, and provide a narrative response identifying by
Reference Number, all Reports related to all expense sharing
agreements; and
(e) provide a narrative response stating the amount shared with
each Person and describing the method for calculating this amount.
n. State all projected revenues relating to the Litigation from the
date of this Request.
(1) provide a narrative response describing the method for
calculating the projected revenue, e.g. as a fraction of revenue or a
fee per unit sold.
o. To the extent not identified above, produce, and provide a
narrative response identifying by Reference Number, all agreements
related to the Litigation and produce, and provide a narrative response
identifying by Reference Number, all Reports related to the Litigation.
3. License Information: For each License executed since January 1,
2009 relating to a Patent Held by the Firm or a Patent in which the
Firm has an Economic Interest
a. Who is the Licensor(s)?
b. Who is the Licensee(s)?
c. Identify all Patent(s) Licensed.
d. What is the effective date of the License agreement?
e. Does the License relate to a Patent Held by the Firm? (Y/N)
f. Does the License relate to a Wireless Patent Held by the Firm?
(Y/N)
g. Does the License relate to a Patent in which the Firm has an
Economic Interest? (Y/N)
h. Does the License relate to a Wireless Patent in which the Firm
has an Economic Interest? (Y/N)
i. For each Litigation related to the License:
(1) State the jurisdiction in which the Litigation was commenced.
(2) state the docket number of the Litigation.
j. Does the License contain a field of use restriction? (Y/N) If
yes:
(1) State the specific field of use restriction; and
(2) identify, from the following list, in which sector(s) is the
field of use restriction: Chemical, Computers & Communications, Drugs &
Medical, Semiconductors, Other Electrical & Electronic, Mechanical, or
Other.
k. Does the License contain a geographic restriction? (Y/N) If yes:
(1) Identify the geographic restriction(s).
l. State the duration of the License agreement?
m. State the Licensed products or services.
n. Does the License include any cross-License? (Y/N) If yes:
(1) has the Firm assigned a value to the cross-License? (Y/N) If
yes:
(a) State the date of the most recent valuation; and
(b) state the amount of the most recent valuation; and
(c) provide a narrative response identifying by date and amount all
prior valuations by, or on behalf of, the Firm; and
(d) produce, and provide a narrative response identifying by
Reference Number, all related Reports.
(2) produce, and provide a narrative response identifying by
Reference Number, the cross-License.
(3) provide a narrative response identifying the number of Patents
cross-Licensed, as well as whether the cross-License is exclusive,
whether there are any geographic limitations to the cross-License,
whether there are any field of use limitations to the cross-License,
and whether the field of use restriction is in the following sectors:
Chemical, Computers & Communications, Drugs & Medical, Semiconductors,
Other Electrical & Electronic, Mechanical, or Other.
o. State the total revenue the Firm has received under the terms of
the License from January 1, 2009 to the date of this Request.
(1) was any part of this revenue received as a lump-sum payment,
i.e. a payment not directly affected by the defendant's future revenue
or unit sales? (Y/N) If yes:
(a) State the total revenue the Firm has received to the date of
this request in lump-sum payments.
(2) was any part of this revenue received as an on-going payment,
i.e., a payment that is directly affected by either the defendant's
future revenue or unit sales? (Y/N) If yes:
(a) State the total revenue the Firm has received to the date of
this request in on-going payments.
(3) is this revenue shared with anyone outside the Firm? (Y/N) If
yes:
(a) State the total amount shared outside the Firm.
(b) if the revenue is part of an ongoing payment, state the total
amount the Firm expects to share in the future.
(c) state all Person(s) with whom this revenue is shared.
(1) are any of these Person(s) the named inventor of any of the
Licensed Patents? (Y/N)
(2) are any of these Person(s) the employer of the named inventor
of any of the Licensed Patents? (Y/N)
(d) produce, and provide a narrative response identifying by
Reference Number, all revenue sharing agreements.
(e) provide a narrative response stating the amount the Firm shared
with each Person and the amount the Firm expects to share in the future
and describing the method for calculating this amount.
p. State the Firm's total expenses relating to the License
agreement from January 1, 2009 to the date of this Request.
(1) are these expenses shared with any Person(s) outside the Firm?
(Y/N) If yes:
(a) State the total amount of expenses shared outside the Firm;
(b) identify all Person(s) with whom expenses are shared;
(c) produce, and provide a narrative response identifying by
Reference Number, all expense sharing agreements;
(d) produce, and provide a narrative response identifying by
Reference Number, all Reports related to all expense sharing
agreements; and
(e) provide a narrative response stating the amount of expenses
shared with each Person and describing the method for calculating this
amount.
q. State all projected revenues relating to the License from the
date of this Request.
[[Page 28723]]
(1) provide a narrative response describing the method for
calculating the projected revenue, e.g. as a fraction of revenue or a
fee per unit sold.
r. Produce, and provide a narrative response identifying by
Reference Number, all Reports related to the License.
s. Produce, and provide a narrative response identifying by
Reference Number, all agreements related to the License.
4. To the extent not identified above, produce, and provide a
narrative response identifying by Reference Number, all agreements
related to any Assertion relating to a Patent Held by the Firm, or a
Patent in which the Firm has an Economic Interest and produce, and
provide a narrative response identifying by Reference Number, all
related Reports
I. Aggregate Cost Information
1. Separately, for each year since January 1, 2009
a. State the total cost to the Firm relating to all Acquisitions
identified in response to Request F.
(1) did the Firm share Acquisition costs with Person(s) outside the
Firm? (Y/N) If yes:
(a) State all Person(s) with whom these costs are shared;
(b) state the total amount paid by Person(s) outside the Firm; and
(c) state the total amount paid by the Firm.
b. State the total cost to the Firm relating to all Litigations
identified in response to Request H.2.
(1) did the Firm share Litigation costs with Person(s) outside the
Firm? (Y/N) If yes:
(a) State all Person(s) with whom these costs are shared;
(b) state the total amount paid by Person(s) outside the Firm; and
(c) state the total amount paid by the Firm.
c. State the total cost to the Firm relating to all Licenses
identified in response to Request H.3.
(1) did the Firm share License costs with Person(s) outside the
Firm? (Y/N) If yes:
(a) State all Person(s) with whom these costs are shared;
(b) state the total amount paid by Person(s) outside the Firm; and
(c) state the total amount paid by the Firm.
2. For all forecasted costs expected to be paid after the date of
this Request
a. State the total cost expected to be paid by the Firm relating to
all Acquisitions identified in Request F.
b. State the total cost expected to be paid by all other Person(s)
outside the Firm relating to all Acquisitions identified in Request F.
c. State the total cost expected to be paid by the Firm relating to
all Litigations identified in Request H.2.
d. State the total cost expected to be paid by all other Person(s)
outside the Firm relating to all Litigations identified in Request H.2.
e. State the total cost expected to be paid by the Firm relating to
all License Agreements identified in Request H.3.
f. State the total cost expected to be paid by all other Person(s)
outside with the Firm relating to all License Agreements identified in
Request H.3.
g. Produce, and provide a narrative response identifying by
Reference Number, all Reports related to all forecasted costs
identified in response to this Request.
3. Since January 1, 2009, has the Firm engaged in any research and
development related to the Patents identified in Request C? (Y/N) If
yes:
a. What is the total cost of the Firms' research and development
activity?
b. Produce, and provide a narrative response identifying by
Reference Number, Documents sufficient to show the total cost of the
Firms' research and development activity.
4. Produce, and provide a narrative response identifying by
Reference Number, Documents sufficient to show all costs and payments
identified in response to Request I
5. Has the Firm made any payment related to the Acquisition of any
Patent by any Person not otherwise identified in response to these
Requests? (Y/N) If yes:
a. State the Person(s) to whom the payments were made;
b. State the total amount paid;
c. State the total amount expected to be paid in the future; and
d. For each Person who received payments from the Firm, provide a
narrative response identifying the amount paid, identifying the amount
expected to be paid in the future, and describing the Acquisition.
J. Aggregate Revenue Information
1. Separately, for each year since January 1, 2009
a. State the total revenue received by the Firm relating to all
Transfers identified in response to Request G.
(1) did the Firm share Transfer revenue with Person(s) outside the
Firm? (Y/N) If yes:
(a) State all Person(s) with whom this revenue is shared;
(b) state the amount of revenue shared with Person(s) outside the
Firm; and
(c) state the amount retained by the Firm.
b. State the total revenue received by the Firm relating to all
Litigations identified in response to Request H.2.
(1) did the Firm share Litigation revenue with Person(s) outside
the Firm? (Y/N) If yes:
(a) State all Person(s) with whom this revenue is shared;
(b) state the total revenue shared with Person(s) outside the Firm;
and
(c) state the amount retained by the Firm.
c. State the total revenue received by the Firm relating to all
Licenses identified in response to Request H.3.
(1) did the Firm share License revenue with Person(s) outside the
Firm? (Y/N) If yes:
(a) State all Person(s) with whom this revenue is shared;
(b) state the total revenue shared with Person(s) outside the Firm;
and
(c) state the amount retained by the Firm.
2. For all forecasted revenues expected to be received by the Firm
after the date of this Request
a. State the total revenue expected to be received by the Firm
relating to all Transfers identified in Request G.
b. State the total revenue expected to be received by all other
Person(s) outside the Firm relating to all Transfers identified in
Request G.
c. State the total revenue expected to be received by the Firm
relating to all Litigations identified in Request H.
d. State the total revenue expected to be received by all other
Person(s) outside the Firm relating to all Litigations identified in
Request H.2.
e. State the total revenue expected to be received by the Firm
relating to all License Agreements identified in Request H.3.
f. State the total revenue expected to be received by all other
Person(s) outside the Firm relating to all License Agreements
identified in Request H.3.
3. Produce, and provide a narrative response identifying by
Reference Number, Documents sufficient to show all revenue identified
in response to Request J
4. Produce, and provide a narrative response identifying by
Reference Number, all Reports related to all forecasted revenues
identified in response to Request J
5. Has the Firm received any revenue, either directly or
indirectly, from the Assertion of any Patent by any Person not
otherwise identified in response these requests? (Y/N) If yes:
a. State the Person(s) who paid this revenue to the Firm;
b. State the total amount of revenue received;
[[Page 28724]]
c. State the total amount of revenue expected to be received in the
future; and
d. For each Person who paid this revenue to the Firm, provide a
narrative response identifying the amount paid, identifying the amount
expected to be paid in the future, and describing the Assertion.
6. Has the Firm received any revenue, either directly or
indirectly, from the Acquisition of any Patent by any Person not
otherwise identified in response these requests? (Y/N) If yes:
a. State the Person(s) who paid this revenue to the Firm;
b. State the total amount of revenue received;
c. State the total amount of revenue expected to be received in the
future; and
d. For each Person who paid this revenue to the Firm, provide a
narrative response identifying the amount paid, identifying the amount
expected to be paid in the future, and describing the Acquisition.
7. Has the Firm received any revenue, either directly or
indirectly, from the Transfer of any Patent by any Person not otherwise
identified in response these requests? (Y/N) If yes:
a. State the Person(s) who paid this revenue to the Firm;
b. State the total amount of revenue received;
c. State the total amount of revenue expected to be received in the
future; and
d. For each Person who paid this revenue to the Firm, provide a
narrative response identifying the amount paid, identifying the amount
expected to be paid in the future, and describing the Transfer.
Information Requests Directed to Approximately 15 Manufacturing
Firms and NPEs Asserting Patents in the Wireless Sector:
The FTC will have Manufacturing Firms and NPEs respond to the
following information requests:
K. Identification of Report Author
Identify by full name, title, business address, telephone number,
email address, and official capacity the Person(s) who prepared or
supervised the preparation of the Firm's response to the Information
Requests.
L. Firm Information
1. State the Firm's complete legal name and all other names under
which it has done business since January 1, 2009, its corporate mailing
address, all addresses and Web sites from which it does or has done
business since January 1, 2009, and the date(s) and state(s) of its
incorporation.
2. Describe the Firm's business and corporate structure, provide an
organizational chart stating the names of all parents, wholly or
partially owned subsidiaries, incorporated or unincorporated divisions,
affiliates, branches, joint ventures, franchises, operations under
assumed names, Web sites, or other Person(s) over which the Firm
exercises or has exercised supervision or control since January 1, 2009
who Assert Wireless Patents. When responding to these Information
Requests, separately provide all information for the Firm and each
related Person(s) identified in response to Request L2.
3. Has more than one Person identified in response to Request L2
engaged in Assertions relating to Wireless Patents against the same
Person. (Y/N) If yes, name the Person(s) identified in response to
Request L2 that made the Assertions, name the Person subject to the
Assertions, state the date of each Assertion; and identify the Wireless
Patent(s) related to each Assertion.
4. If the Firm is an exclusive Licensee to any Wireless Patent(s),
produce, and provide a narrative response identifying by Reference
Number, the License, state whether there are any geographic limitations
to the License, whether there are any field of use limitations to the
License, and whether the field of use restriction is in the following
sectors: Chemical, Computers & Communications, Drugs & Medical,
Semiconductors, Other Electrical & Electronic, Mechanical, or Other,
and produce, and provide a narrative response identifying by Reference
Number, all related Reports.
M. Standard Setting Commitments
1. If any Person has committed to a Standard Setting Organization
that it will License any Wireless Patent(s) Held by the Firm since
January 1, 2009, for each commitment
a. State the date the commitment was made.
b. Identify the Person who made the commitment.
c. Identify the Standard Setting Organization.
d. Identify the standard(s) to which the commitment applies.
e. State whether the commitment is to License the Wireless
Patent(s) or any Patent claim(s) on reasonable and non-discriminatory
(RAND); fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory (FRAND); royalty-free
(RF); or other terms.
(1) if the commitment is to License on terms other than RAND,
FRAND, or RF, provide a narrative response describing the terms.
f. Is the commitment subject to a field of use restriction? (Y/N)
If yes:
(1) State the specific field of use restriction(s); and
(2) identify, from the following list, in which sector(s) is the
field of use restriction: Chemical, Computers & Communications, Drugs &
Medical, Semiconductors, Other Electrical & Electronic, Mechanical, or
Other.
g. Provide a narrative response listing all Patent(s) that any
Person has declared, or otherwise identified to any Person, as subject
to the commitment.
h. Produce, and provide a narrative response identifying by
Reference Number, all agreements embodying the commitment.
N. Patent Transfer Information
1. For each transaction in which the Firm Transferred Wireless
Patent(s) since January 1, 2009
a. State the date of the transaction.
b. State the Person(s) who Transferred the Patent(s).
c. State the Person(s) to whom the Patent(s) were Transferred.
(1) did the Firm Transfer the Patent(s) to a Person that the Firm
identifies as a Patent Assertion Entity? (Y/N)
d. State the total number of Patent(s) Transferred in the
transaction.
e. For each Patent Transferred in the transaction:
(1) State the Patent number.
(2) did the Firm assign the Patent in connection with the
transaction? (Y/N) If yes:
(a) Was the assignment recorded with the United States Patent and
Trademark Office? (Y/N)
(3) did the Firm grant an exclusive License to the Patent(s) in
connection with the transaction? (Y/N)
f. Did the Firm transfer existing License obligations to the
Patent(s)? (Y/N) If yes:
(1) State the total number of License obligations transferred; and
(2) state the total revenue received by the Firm from these
Licenses.
g. Did the Firm Transfer the Patent(s) in connection with any
proceeding before a United States Bankruptcy Court? (Y/N) If yes:
(1) State the jurisdiction; and
(2) state the docket number.
h. Was the Firm paid a lump-sum payment(s), i.e. a payment not
directly affected by the transferee's future revenue or unit sales, to
Transfer the Patent(s)? (Y/N) If yes, for each Person making payments
to the Firm:
(1) State the Person from whom the payment was received;
(2) state the total amount of the lump-sum payment(s) received;
[[Page 28725]]
(3) state the total amount of the lump-sum payment(s) expected to
be received in the future;
(4) if any agreement(s) define(s) the payment terms, produce, and
provide a narrative response identifying by Reference Number, the
agreement(s); and
(5) provide a narrative response describing the method for
calculating the payment(s).
i. Did the Firm receive, or is it receiving, an on-going payment,
i.e., a payment that is directly affected by either the transferee's
future revenue or unit sales, from the Person(s) receiving the
Patent(s)? (Y/N) If yes, for each Person making payments to the Firm:
(1) State the Person(s) from whom the payment(s) are received;
(2) state the total amount of the on-going payments received from
this Person(s), by calendar year, made to the date of this Request;
(3) state the total amount of payments expected to be received in
the future;
(4) if any agreement(s) define(s) the payment terms, produce, and
provide a narrative response identifying by Reference Number, the
agreement(s); and
(5) provide a narrative response describing the method for
calculating the on-going payment(s).
j. Does the Transfer involve a cross-License? (Y/N) If yes:
(1) State the date of the cross-License agreement.
(2) Has the Firm assigned a value to the cross-License? (Y/N) If
yes:
(a) State the date of the most recent valuation;
(b) state the amount of the most recent valuation;
(c) provide a narrative response identifying by date and amount all
prior valuations by, or on behalf of, the Firm; and
(d) produce, and provide a narrative response identifying by
Reference Number, all related Reports.
(3) produce, and provide a narrative response identifying by
Reference Number, the cross-License; and
(4) produce, and provide a narrative response identifying by
Reference Number, all related Reports.
k. Did any Person outside the Firm share in the proceeds from the
Transfer? (Y/N) If yes:
(1) State the Person(s) who shared in the proceeds from the
Transfer;
(2) state the total amount shared with other Person(s) to the date
of this Request;
(3) state the total amount expected to be shared with other
Person(s) in the future;
(4) produce, and provide a narrative response identifying by
Reference Number, all related agreements;
(5) produce, and provide a narrative response identifying by
Reference Number, all related Reports; and
(6) for each Person identified, provide a narrative response
stating the amount shared with each Person, the amount expected to be
shared in the future, and the method for calculating this amount.
l. Produce, and provide a narrative response identifying by
Reference Number, all Reports related to the Transfer.
m. Produce, and provide a narrative response identifying by
Reference Number, all agreements related to the Transfer.
2. To the extent not identified in these Information Requests,
produce, and provide a narrative response identifying by Reference
Number, all agreements between the Firm and any Person executed since
January 1, 2009 relating to any Transfer by the Firm of any Legal Right
to a Patent.
a. For any such agreement produced, also produce, and provide a
narrative response identifying by Reference Number, all Reports that
(i) evaluate or analyze the reasons for entering into the agreement or
(ii) evaluate or analyze the calculation of any payment relating to the
Acquisition.
O. Patent Assertion Information
1. Demand Information: For each Demand made by, or on behalf of,
the Firm since January 1, 2009, relating to Wireless Patent(s)
a. State the date of the Demand.
b. State the Person(s) who made the Demand, e.g. the Firm or one of
its related Person(s).
c. State the Person(s) to whom the Demand was made.
d. State the Patent(s) that formed the basis of the Demand.
e. Identify, from the following list, in which sector(s) the Demand
was made: Chemical, Computers & Communications, Drugs & Medical,
Semiconductors, Other Electrical & Electronic, Mechanical, or Other.
f. Was the Demand limited to geographic area(s)? (Y/N) If yes:
(1) Identify the geographic area(s).
g. State all accused product(s) relating to the Demand.
h. Produce, and provide a narrative response identifying by
Reference Number, a copy of each Demand Document and all appendices,
including, but not limited to, claim charts, and all Reports related to
the Demand.
2. Litigation Information: For each Litigation commenced since
January 1, 2009 relating to a Wireless Patent Held by the Firm, or a
Wireless Patent in which the Firm has an Economic Interest, separately
for each Person (collectively including its parents, subsidiaries, and
affiliates) named as a defendant (if the Firm is a plaintiff) or as a
declaratory judgment plaintiff (if the Firm is a defendant)
a. State the jurisdiction in which the Litigation was commenced.
b. State the docket number of the Litigation.
c. State the date the Litigation was commenced.
d. State all plaintiffs named or otherwise joined in the
Litigation.
e. State the defendant (including parents, subsidiaries, and
affiliates) named or otherwise joined in the Litigation.
f. State all Patents Asserted.
g. Identify, from the following list, in which sector(s) the
Patents were asserted: Chemical, Computers & Communications, Drugs &
Medical, Semiconductors, Other Electrical & Electronic, Mechanical, or
Other.
h. Produce, and provide a narrative response identifying by
Reference Number, all orders relating to all dispositive motions.
i. Produce, and provide a narrative response identifying by
Reference Number, all expert reports exchanged during Litigation that
offer an opinion related to the valuation of the Patent(s) or damages
relating to the Litigation.
j. Is the Litigation pending? (Y/N) If no:
(1) State the date of termination.
(2) state whether the Litigation terminated upon successful
dispositive motion, jury verdict, judgment following trial on the
merits, appeal, settlement, or other (if other, explain).
(3) provide a narrative response identifying all Patent claims
found infringed, valid, and enforceable.
(4) did a permanent injunction, exclusion order, or cease and
desist order issue? (Y/N)
(5) did the court award damages? (Y/N) If yes:
(a) State the amount awarded; and
(b) state the amount actually paid to the prevailing party.
(6) did the court award fees pursuant to 35 U.S.C. 285? (Y/N) If
yes:
(a) State the fees awarded; and
(b) state the amount actually paid to the prevailing party.
(7) did the court issue sanctions pursuant to Rule 11 of the
Federal Rules of Civil Procedure? (Y/N)
(8) did the Litigation terminate upon exhaustion of appellate
process? (Y/N)
k. Did the Litigation settle? (Y/N) If yes:
[[Page 28726]]
(1) Did the settlement result in a License agreement? (Y/N) If yes:
(a) State the date of the License agreement;
(b) state the Licensee; and
(c) state the Licensor.
(2) when was settlement reached: after the complaint was filed;
after a successful dispositive motion, after a jury verdict, after
judgment following trial on the merits, after appeal, or other (if
other, explain)?
(3) did the Court issue an order construing any claim(s) of the
Patent(s) Asserted before settlement was reached? (Y/N) If yes:
(a) Produce, and provide a narrative response identifying by
Reference Number, the order.
(4) state the total revenue the Firm has received under the terms
of the settlement agreement from January 1, 2009 to the date of this
Request. Do not report revenue reported for any License identified in
response to N.3 below.
(a) was any part of this revenue received as a lump-sum payment,
i.e. a payment not directly affected by the defendant's future revenue
or unit sales? (Y/N) If yes:
(1) State the total revenue the Firm has received to the date of
this request in lump-sum payments; and
(2) state the total revenue the Firm expects to receive in lump-sum
payments in the future.
(b) was any part of this revenue received as an on-going payment,
i.e., a payment that is directly affected by either the defendant's
future revenue or unit sales? (Y/N) If yes:
(1) State the total revenue the Firm has received to the date of
this request in on-going payments; and
(2) state the total revenue the Firm expects to receive in on-going
payments in the future.
(c) is this revenue shared with anyone outside the Firm? (Y/N) If
yes:
(1) State the total amount shared outside the Firm.
(2) if the revenue is part of an ongoing payment, state the total
amount the Firm expects to share in the future.
(3) is any revenue shared pursuant to a contingency fee or risk-
sharing agreement? (Y/N) If yes:
(A) State the total amount shared pursuant to a contingency fee or
risk-sharing agreement;
(B) state the Person(s) outside the Firm who is party to the
agreement; and
(C) provide a narrative response stating the amount the Firm shared
with each Person, the amount the Firm expects to share in the future,
and describing the method for calculating this amount.
(4) state all Person(s) with whom this revenue is shared.
(A) are any of these Person(s) the named inventor of any Patent
Asserted in the Litigation? (Y/N)
(B) are any of these Person(s) the employer of the named inventor
of any Patent Asserted in the Litigation? (Y/N)
(5) produce, and provide a narrative response identifying by
Reference Number, all revenue sharing agreements.
(6) provide a narrative response stating the amount shared with
each Person and describing the method for calculating this amount.
l. State the Firm's total expenses relating to the Litigation from
January 1, 2009 to the date of this Request.
(1) are these expenses shared with any Person(s) outside the Firm?
(Y/N) If yes:
(a) State the total amount of expenses shared outside the Firm;
(b) identify all Person(s) with whom expenses are shared;
(c) produce, and provide a narrative response identifying by
Reference Number, all expense sharing agreements;
(d) produce, and provide a narrative response identifying by
Reference Number, all Reports related to all expense sharing
agreements; and
(e) provide a narrative response stating the amount shared with
each Person and describing the method for calculating this amount.
m. State all projected revenues relating to the Litigation from the
date of this Request.
(1) provide a narrative response describing the method for
calculating the projected revenue, e.g. as a fraction of revenue or a
fee per unit sold.
n. To the extent not identified above, produce, and provide a
narrative response identifying by Reference Number, all agreements
related to the Litigation and produce, and provide a narrative response
identifying by Reference Number, all Reports related to the Litigation.
3. License Information: For each License executed since January 1,
2009 relating to a Wireless Patent Held by the Firm or a Wireless
Patent in which the Firm has an Economic Interest
a. Who is the Licensor?
b. Who is the Licensee?
c. Identify all Patent(s) Licensed.
d. What is the effective date of the License agreement?
e. Does the License relate to a Wireless Patent Held by the Firm?
(Y/N)
f. Does the License relate to a Wireless Patent in which the Firm
has an Economic Interest? (Y/N)
g. For each Litigation related to the License:
(1) State the jurisdiction in which the Litigation was commenced.
(2) state the docket number of the Litigation.
h. Does the License contain a field of use restriction? (Y/N) If
yes:
(1) State the specific field of use restriction ; and
(2) identify, from the following list, in which sector(s) is the
field of use restriction: Chemical, Computers & Communications, Drugs &
Medical, Semiconductors, Other Electrical & Electronic, Mechanical, or
Other.
i. Does the License contain a geographic restriction? (Y/N) If yes:
(1) Identify the geographic restriction(s).
j. State the duration of the License agreement?
k. State the Licensed products or services.
l. Does the License include any cross-License? (Y/N) If yes:
(1) Has the Firm assigned a value to the cross-License? (Y/N) If
yes:
(a) State the date of the most recent valuation; and
(b) state the amount of the most recent valuation; and
(c) provide a narrative response identifying by date and amount all
prior valuations by, or on behalf of, the Firm; and
(d) produce, and provide a narrative response identifying by
Reference Number, all related Reports.
(2) produce, and provide a narrative response identifying by
Reference Number, the cross-License.
m. Provide a narrative response identifying the number of Patents
cross-Licensed, as well as whether the cross-License is exclusive,
whether there are any geographic limitations to the cross-License,
whether there are any field of use limitations to the cross-License,
and whether the field of use restriction is in the following sectors:
Chemical, Computers & Communications, Drugs & Medical, Semiconductors,
Other Electrical & Electronic, Mechanical, or Other.
n. State the total revenue the Firm has received under the terms of
the License from January 1, 2009 to the date of this Request.
(1) was any part of this revenue received as a lump-sum payment,
i.e. a payment not directly affected by the defendant's future revenue
or unit sales? (Y/N) If yes:
(a) State the total revenue the Firm has received to the date of
this request in lump-sum payments.
(2) was any part of this revenue received as an on-going payment,
i.e., a payment that is directly affected by either the defendant's
future revenue or unit sales? (Y/N) If yes:
[[Page 28727]]
(a) State the total revenue the Firm has received to the date of
this Request in on-going payments.
(3) is this revenue shared with anyone outside the Firm? (Y/N) If
yes:
(a) State the total amount shared outside the Firm.
(b) if the revenue is part of an ongoing payment, state the total
amount the Firm expects to share in the future.
(c) state all Person(s) with whom this revenue is shared.
(1) are any of these Person(s) the named inventor of any of the
Licensed Patents? (Y/N)
(2) are any of these Person(s) the employer of the named inventor
of any of the Licensed Patents? (Y/N)
(d) produce, and provide a narrative response identifying by
Reference Number, all revenue sharing agreements.
(e) provide a narrative response stating the amount the Firm shared
with each Person and the amount the Firm expects to share in the future
and describing the method for calculating this amount.
o. State the Firm's total expenses relating to the License
agreement from January 1, 2009 to the date of this Request.
(1) are these expenses shared with any Person(s) outside the Firm?
(Y/N) If yes:
(a) State the total amount of expenses shared outside the Firm;
(b) identify all Person(s) with whom expenses are shared;
(c) produce, and provide a narrative response identifying by
Reference Number, all expense sharing agreements;
(d) produce, and provide a narrative response identifying by
Reference Number, all Reports related to all expense sharing
agreements; and
(e) provide a narrative response stating the amount of expenses
shared with each Person and describing the method for calculating this
amount.
p. State all projected revenues relating to the License from the
date of this Request.
(1) provide a narrative response describing the method for
calculating the projected revenue, e.g. as a fraction of revenue or a
fee per unit sold.
q. Produce, and provide a narrative response identifying by
Reference Number, all Reports related to the License.
r. Produce, and provide a narrative response identifying by
Reference Number, all agreements related to the License.
4. To the extent not identified above, produce, and provide a
narrative response identifying by Reference Number, all agreements
related to any Assertion relating to a Wireless Patent Held by the
Firm, or a Wireless Patent in which the Firm has an Economic Interest
and produce, and provide a narrative response identifying by Reference
Number, all related Reports.
P. Aggregate Cost Information
1. Separately, for each year since January 1, 2009
a. State the total cost to the Firm relating to all Litigations
identified in response to Request O.2.
(1) did the Firm share Litigation costs with Person(s) outside the
Firm? (Y/N) If yes:
(a) State all Person(s) with whom these costs are shared;
(b) state the total amount paid by Person(s) outside the Firm; and
(c) state the total amount paid by the Firm.
b. State the total cost to the Firm relating to all Licenses
identified in response to Request O.3.
(1) did the Firm share License costs with Person(s) outside the
Firm? (Y/N) If yes:
(a) State all Person(s) with whom these costs are shared;
(b) state the total amount paid by Person(s) outside the Firm; and
(c) state the total amount paid by the Firm.
2. For all forecasted costs expected to be paid after the date of
this Request
a. State the total cost expected to be paid by the Firm relating to
all Litigations identified in Request O.2.
b. State the total cost expected to be paid by all other Person(s)
outside the Firm relating to all Litigations identified in Request O.2.
c. State the total cost expected to be paid by the Firm relating to
all License Agreements identified in Request O.3.
d. State the total cost expected to be paid by all other Person(s)
outside the Firm relating to all License Agreements identified in
Request O.3.
e. Produce, and provide a narrative response identifying by
Reference Number, all Reports related to all forecasted costs
identified in response to this Request.
3. Produce, and provide a narrative response identifying by
Reference Number, Documents sufficient to show all costs and payments
identified in response to this Request.
Q. Aggregate Revenue Information
1. Separately, for each year since January 1, 2009
a. State the total revenue received by the Firm relating to all
Transfers identified in response to Request N.
(1) did the Firm share Transfer revenue with Person(s) outside the
Firm? (Y/N) If yes:
(a) State all Person(s) with whom this revenue is shared;
(b) state the amount of revenue shared with Person(s) outside the
Firm; and
(c) state the amount retained by the Firm.
b. State the total revenue received by the Firm relating to all
Litigations identified in response to Request O.2.
(1) did the Firm share Litigation revenue with Person(s) outside
the Firm? (Y/N) If yes:
(a) State all Person(s) with whom this revenue is shared;
(b) state the total revenue shared with Person(s) outside the Firm;
and
(c) state the amount retained by the Firm.
c. State the total revenue received by the Firm relating to all
Licenses identified in response to Request O.3.
(1) did the Firm share License revenue with Person(s) outside the
Firm? (Y/N) If yes:
(a) State all Person(s) with whom this revenue is shared;
(b) state the total revenue shared with Person(s) outside the Firm;
and
(c) state the amount retained by the Firm.
2. For all forecasted revenues expected to be received by the Firm
after the date of this Request.
a. State the total revenue expected to be received by the Firm
relating to all Transfers identified in Request N.
b. State the total revenue expected to be received by all other
Person(s) outside the Firm relating to all Transfers identified in
Request N.
c. State the total revenue expected to be received by the Firm
relating to all Litigations identified in Request O.2.
d. State the total revenue expected to be received by all other
Person(s) outside the Firm relating to all Litigations identified in
Request O.2.
e. State the total revenue expected to be received by the Firm
relating to all License Agreements identified in Request O.3.
f. State the total revenue expected to be received by all other
Person(s) outside the Firm relating to all License Agreements
identified in Request O.3.
3. Produce, and provide a narrative response identifying by
Reference Number, Documents sufficient to show all revenue identified
in response to Request Q.
4. Produce, and provide a narrative response identifying by
Reference Number, all Reports related to all forecasted revenues
identified in response to Request Q.
5. Has the Firm received any revenue, either directly or
indirectly, from the Assertion of any Wireless Patent by any Person not
otherwise identified in response these requests? (Y/N) If yes:
[[Page 28728]]
a. State the Person(s) who paid this revenue to the Firm;
b. state the total amount of revenue received;
c. state the total amount of revenue expected to be received in the
future; and
d. for each Person who paid this revenue to the Firm, provide a
narrative response identifying the amount paid, identifying the amount
expected to be paid in the future, and describing the Assertion.
6. Has the Firm received any revenue, either directly or
indirectly, from the Transfer of any Wireless Patent by any Person not
otherwise identified in response these requests? (Y/N) If yes:
a. State the Person(s) who paid this revenue to the Firm;
b. state the total amount of revenue received;
c. state the total amount of revenue expected to be received in the
future; and
d. for each Person who paid this revenue to the Firm, provide a
narrative response identifying the amount paid, identifying the amount
expected to be paid in the future, and describing the Transfer.
Pending this information collection, the destruction, mutilation,
alteration, or falsification of documentary evidence within the
possession or control of a person, partnership or corporation subject
to the FTC Act is subject to criminal prosecution. 15 U.S.C. 50, see
also 18 U.S.C. 1505.
III. Confidentiality
In connection with its requests, the Commission will receive
information of a confidential nature. Under Section 6(f) of the FTC
Act, such information is protected from disclosure while it remains
confidential commercial information. 15 U.S.C. 46(f).
IV. Estimated Hours and Labor Cost Burden
The proposed information collection is a one-time endeavor that,
upon completion by study subjects, will not involve repeated responses.
In its prior Federal Register notice, the FTC estimated that a
recipient's burden for the PAE study would range from 90 to 400 hours
depending on the recipient.\1\
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\1\ 78 FR 61,352, 61357 (Oct. 3, 2013).
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Several commenters noted that the FTC's initial estimate of
recipients' burden was accurate, while others stated that the FTC's
initial burden estimates were too low. The initial hour burden
estimates are consistent with previous PRA estimates and the FTC's
experience with information requests that require financial data,
narrative responses, and production of pre-existing documents. The
Generic Drug Report, as well as the Authorized Generic Drugs report,
involved requests for financial information and responses to questions,
and the estimated hours burdens varied depending on the number of drugs
covered. Similarly, the burden in this study will vary depending on a
subject's number of patents and volume of assertion activity. In the
first generic drugs study, the burden was an estimated 100-500 hours,
and in the authorized generics study, the burden was an estimated 138
to 456 hours.\2\
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\2\ 66 FR 12,512, 12,522-23 (2001); 72 FR 25,304, 25314 (2007).
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The Commission believes that its estimates are realistic given the
modifications that it has made to the requests, which now reflect many
of the public comments' suggestions for reducing burden. For example,
many requests that originally called for ``all'' documents in a given
category now request a defined subset of such documents. Several
comments stated that requests would unduly burden companies with large
portfolios of patents that were developed by the company's employees.
The proposed information collection has been modified to avoid
unreasonable burdens on such companies. Moreover, in response to
concerns about using a single set of requests for PAE Firms,
Manufacturing Firms, and NPEs, there are now two sets of proposed
information requests: one for PAE firms, and a second for Manufacturers
and NPEs.
A. Estimated Hours Burden
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Manufacturers
Task PAE firms and NPEs
(hours) (hours)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Identify, obtain, and organize firm 15-35 15-35
information; prepare response..........
Identify, obtain, and organize patent 40-65 N/A
information; prepare response..........
Identify, obtain, and organize patent 40-65 N/A
portfolio information; prepare response
Identify, obtain, and organize 70-150 N/A
acquisition information; prepare
response...............................
Identify, obtain, and organize transfer 70-150 70-150
information; prepare response..........
Identify, obtain, and organize assertion 150-300 150-300
information; prepare response..........
Identify, obtain, and organize aggregate 20-40 20-40
revenue information; prepare response..
Identify, obtain, and organize aggregate 20-40 20-40
cost information; prepare response.....
-------------------------------
Total............................... 425-845 275-565
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FTC staff anticipates that the cumulative hours burden to respond
to the information requests will be between 275 and 845 hours per firm.
Nonetheless, staff conservatively assumes that the burden for each of
the approximately 25 PAE firms will be 845 hours, and the cumulative
estimated burden will be approximately 21,125 hours. Staff
conservatively assumes that the burden for each of the approximately 15
manufacturers and NPEs will be between 565 hours per firm, and the
cumulative estimated burden will be approximately 8,475 hours. Given
these conservative estimates, the total estimated burden is
approximately 29,600 hours. These estimates attempt to include any time
spent by other entities affiliated with the Firm that received the
information requests, however, the numbers may be greater or lesser
depending on the numbers of affiliated entities. The FTC seeks to
understand the number of affiliated entities as part of the Information
Requests.
B. Estimated Cost Burden
It is difficult to calculate precisely labor costs associated with
this data production. Labor costs entail varying compensation levels of
management and/or support staff among firms of different sizes. In
addition, comments responding to the First Notice suggested that
outside counsel will be involved in responding to the requests.
[[Page 28729]]
Consequently, although financial, legal, and clerical personnel may be
involved in the information collection process, FTC staff now assumes
that mid-management personnel and outside legal counsel will handle
most of the tasks involved in gathering and producing responsive
information, and has applied an average rate of $250/hour for all labor
costs. Thus the labor costs per company may range between $68,750 (275
hours x $250/hour) and $211,250 (845 hours x $250/hour).
C. Estimated Annual Capital or Other Non-labor Costs
Staff anticipates that the capital or other non-labor costs
associated with the information requests will be minimal. Although the
information requests may require the respondent to store copies of the
requested information provided to the Commission, responding Firms
should already have in place the means to store information of the
volume requested. Respondents may need to purchase minimal office
supplies to respond to the request. Staff estimates that each
respondent will spend $500 for such costs regarding the information
request, for a total additional non-labor cost burden of $20,000 ($500
x 40 Firms).
V. Request for Comment
Under the PRA, 44 U.S.C. 3501-3521, federal agencies must obtain
approval from OMB for each collection of information they conduct or
sponsor. ``Collection of information'' means agency requests or
requirements that members of the public submit reports, keep records,
or provide information to a third party. 44 U.S.C. 3502(3); 5 CFR
1320.3(c). As required by Section 3506(c)(2) of the PRA, 44 U.S.C.
3506, on October 3, 2013, the FTC published its First Notice seeking
public comments on a study of PAE activity. The FTC will provide OMB
with the comments received in response to the First Notice.
Pursuant to Section 3507 of the PRA, additional public comments
regarding this information collection request may be submitted to OMB
and the FTC. Comments received by June 18, 2014 will be considered.
Written comments to OMB should be addressed to: Office of Information
and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, Attention:
Desk Officer for the Federal Trade Commission, New Executive Office
Building, Docket Library, Room 10102, 725 17th Street NW., Washington,
DC 20503. Comments sent to OMB by U.S. postal mail, however, are
subject to delays due to heightened security precautions. Thus,
comments instead should be sent by facsimile to (202) 395-5167.
Postal mail addressed to the Commission is also subject to delay
due to heightened security screening. As a result, we encourage you to
submit your comments online. To submit your comment to the FTC online,
write ``PAE Reports: Paperwork Comment; Project No. P131203'' on your
comment, and file your comment online at https://ftcpublic.commentworks.com/ftc/paestudypra2, by following the
instructions on the web-based form. If you prefer to file your comment
on paper, mail your comment to the following address: Federal Trade
Commission, Office of the Secretary, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW., Suite
CC-5610, (Annex J), Washington, DC 20580, or deliver your comment to
the following address: Federal Trade Commission, Office of the
Secretary, Constitution Center, 400 7th Street SW., 5th Floor, Suite
5610, (Annex J), Washington, DC 20024. If this Notice appears at https://www.regulations.gov/#!home, you also may file a comment through that
Web site.
Your comment, including your name and your state, will be placed on
the public record of this proceeding, including, to the extent
practicable, on the public Commission Web site, at https://www.ftc.gov/os/publiccomments.shtm. As a matter of discretion, the Commission tries
to remove individuals' home contact information from comments before
placing them on the Commission Web site.
Because your comment will be made public, you are solely
responsible for making sure that your comment does not include any
sensitive personal information, like anyone's Social Security number,
date of birth, driver's license number or other state identification
number or foreign country equivalent, passport number, financial
account number, or credit or debit card number.
You are also solely responsible for making sure that your comment
does not include any sensitive health information, like medical records
or other individually identifiable health information. In addition, do
not include any ``[t]rade secret or any commercial or financial
information which is * * * privileged or confidential,'' as discussed
in Section 6(f) of the FTC Act, 15 U.S.C. 46(f), and FTC Rule
4.10(a)(2), 16 CFR 4.10(a)(2). In particular, do not include
competitively sensitive information such as costs, sales statistics,
inventories, formulas, patterns, devices, manufacturing processes, or
customer names in your comment.
If you seek confidential treatment for your comment, you must file
it in paper form, with a request for confidential treatment, and you
must follow the procedure explained in FTC Rule 4.9(c), 16 CFR
4.9(c).\3\ Your comment will be kept confidential only if the FTC
General Counsel grants your request in accordance with the law and the
public interest.
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\3\ In particular, the written request for confidential
treatment that accompanies the comment must include the factual and
legal basis for the request, and must identify the specific portions
of the comment to be withheld from the public record. See FTC Rule
4.9(c), 16 CFR 4.9(c).
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Visit the Commission Web site at https://www.ftc.gov to read this
Notice and the news release describing it. The FTC Act and other laws
that the Commission administers permit the collection of public
comments to consider and use in this proceeding as appropriate. The
Commission will consider all timely and responsive public comments that
it receives on or before June 18, 2014. You can find more information,
including routine uses permitted by the Privacy Act, in the
Commission's privacy policy, at https://www.ftc.gov/ftc/privacy.htm.
By direction of the Commission.
Donald S. Clark,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2014-11484 Filed 5-16-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6750-01-P