A blog about patent, copyright and trademark law in the U.S. District Court
for the Southern District of New York

Court Denies Reconsideration of Motion to Compel Settlement-Related Documents

In an October 11, 2013 ruling, Judge Denny Chin, sitting by designation, denied reconsideration of plaintiff the American Society of Media Photographers, Inc.'s motion to compel production of documents listed on defendant Google, Inc.'s privilege log.  Judge Chin rejected the argument that their inclusion on the log demonstrated their relevance, writing that "the inclusion of documents merely means that they are responsive to the request for the production of documents, not that they are relevant or are reasonably calculated to lead to admissible evidence."  The Court also noted that the plaintiff also failed to explain how documents relating to Google's settlement talks with another party are relevant, ruling that  if "defendant expressed its view as to its fair use defense in settlement discussions, those statements are not relevant or, even assuming some relevance, they are not admissible."
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