JJG IP Holdings v. Polymeric Technology - Complaint

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    5:15-CV-1137(GTS/TWD)

    Case 5:15-cv-01137-GTS-TWD Document 1 Filed 09/21/15 Page 1 of 5

    UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

    NORTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK

    JJG IP HOLDINGS, LLC

    AND

    GREEN MACHINE SALES, LLC

    Plaintiffs,

    v

    POLYMERIC TECHNOLOGY, INC.,

    Defendant.

    COMPL INT

    Civil Action No.

    Plaintiffs JJG

    IP

    Holdings, LLC ( JJG ) and Green Machine Sales, LLC (Green

    Machine ) (collectively, Plaintiffs ), by and through their attorneys, Bond, Schoeneck

    &

    King, PLLC, hereby alleges as its Complaint against defendant Polymeric Technology,

    Inc. ( Poly-Tech ) as follows:

    JURISDICTION

    1 This

    is an

    action for design patent infringement brought under the patent

    laws of the United States, including 35 U.S.C. §§ 271 et seq

    2. This Court has subject matter jurisdiction in this action pursuant to 28

    U.S.C. 1331 and 1338(a).

    PARTIES

    3. JJG is a limited liability company organized and existing under the laws of

    the State of New Hampshire and having a place of business at 5 Gigante Drive,

    Hampstead, NH 03841.

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    4. Green Machine is a limited liability company organized and existing under

    the laws of New Hampshire and having places of business at 11 E. Genesee St.,

    Baldwinsville, NY 13027 and 8300 NY

    Rte. 79

    Whitney Point, NY 13862.

    5.

    Upon information and belief, Poly-Tech is a corporation organized and

    existing under the laws of the State of California, and is authorized to do business

    in

    the

    State of New York.

    DESIGN PATENT INFRINGEMENT

    6.

    JJG is a holding company.

    7. Green Machine is

    an

    operating and sales company that designs,

    manufactures, markets and sells waste recycling equipment, including a consumable

    product referred to as a Star for use on a waste separator machine.

    8.

    JJG is the owner of all right, title and interest

    in

    U.S. Design Patent No.

    690,749 ( the '749 patent ), which duly issued

    on

    October 1 2013. A copy of the '749

    patent

    is

    attached

    as

    Exhibit

    A

    9.

    Green Machine is the exclusive licensee under the '749 patent,

    possessing the exclusive right to make, have made, offer for sale, and sell the patented

    Star in

    the United States.

    10. JJG and Green have discovered that Poly-Tech is making, offering for

    sale and/or selling Stars with substantially the same design as that depicted and

    claimed in the '7 49 patent.

    11.

    In sales initiatives, Poly-Tech specifically refers to replacement stars for

    use on Green's separators. One Poly-Tech quote made to a Green customer contained

    the following wording and pictures:

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    : We

    make recycling stars/discs for MRFs with sorters such as

    JJ

    achine for 40-50% less than the OEM price with better quality than the

    OEM. This is a potential savings of $10,000's per vear. We supply

    customers such as WM and Republic with our high-quality stars.

    The price for the standard split 6 spoke 13 JJG Machine star

    s

    $33.00/star

    This

    s

    the star I'm talking about:

    Let me know if I can get you some free samples. .

    12. The making, using, selling, offering for sale, and/or importing of the knock-

    off Stars by Poly-Tech constitutes patent infringement under 35 U.S.C.

    § 271.

    13. Poly-Tech, upon information and belief, is committing willful infringement

    by making, using, selling, and/or offering for sale its knock-off Stars with knowledge that

    the products infringe the '7 49 patent.

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    14. On September 15, 2014, JJG notified Poly-Tech in a letter that it

    considered the manufacture and sale of the Stars to be

    an

    infringement of the 749

    patent and demanded that Poly-Tech cease and desist from further infringing the 749

    patent. A copy of this letter is attached as Exhibit B.

    15. Poly-Tech has failed to cease and desist the infringing acts.

    16. Poly-Tech s willful infringement and deliberate disregard for Plaintiff s

    statutory rights warrant a trebling of damages pursuant to 35 U.S.C. § 284, and a

    finding that this case is exceptional under

    35

    U.S.C. § 285, thereby entitling Plaintiffs to

    an award of costs and attorneys fees.

    17. Plaintiffs have no adequate remedy at law.

    PL INTIFF DEM NDS TRI L BY JURY

    WHEREFORE, Plaintiffs pray that the Court:

    a)

    Enter judgment that Poly-Tech has infringed U.S. Design Patent No. 690,749;

    b) Enter judgment that Poly-Tech s acts of infringement are willful;

    c) Enter judgment that this is an exceptional case under 35 U.S.C. § 285;

    d) Pursuant to 35 U.S.C. § 283, enjoin Poly-Tech, its officers, agents, servants, and

    employees, and all parties who are in active concert or participation with them, from

    directly or indirectly making, having made, selling, offering for sale, distributing, using, or

    importing into the United States any products that infringe U.S. Design Patent

    No.

    690,749;

    e) Order Poly-Tech to account for and pay to Plaintiffs damages adequate to

    compensate for the infringement under 35 U.S.C. § 284, but

    in

    no event less than a

    reasonable royalty;

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     f) Order Poly-Tech to account for and pay to Plaintiffs all profits derived by Poly-

    Tech from infringing U.S. Design Patent

    No.

    690,749 under 35 U.S.C. § 289;

    g)

    Award Plaintiffs treble damages pursuant to 35 U.S.C.

    §

    284;

    h)

    Award Plaintiffs their prejudgment interest and costs pursuant to 35 U.S.C. §

    284, and its attorneys' fees under 35 U.S.C. § 285;

    i) Grant Plaintiffs such other and further relief as the Court may deem just and

    proper.

    Dated: September 21, 2015 Respectfully submitted,

    BOND, SCHOENECK KING, PLLC

    By: s/ Georqe

    R.

    McGuire

    George R. McGuire (509056)

    One Lincoln Center

    Syracuse, NY 13202-1355

    Telephone: (315) 218-8000

    Facsimile: (315) 218-8100

    Attorneys for Plaintiff

    5

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    EXHIBIT

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    (12)

    United States Design Patent

    Green et al.

    (54)

    SORTING

    ISK

    (75) Inventors:

    John

    F

    Green,

    Baldwinsville,

    NY

    (US);

    Peter Mendre,

    Haverhill,

    MA

    (US);

    Thomas M. Taylor, Lisle, NY (US)

    (73)

    Assignee:

    JJG IP Holdings, LLC,

    Hampstead,

    NH

    US)

    (**)

    Term: 14 Years

    (21) Appl. No.:

    29/422,960

    (22) Filed:

    May 25, 2012

    (63)

    (51)

    (52)

    (58)

    56)

    Related U.S. Application Data

    Continuation

    of application No. 12/762,430, filed on

    Apr. 19, 2010, now abandoned.

    LOC 9) CI. .................................................. 15-99

    U.S.CI.

    USPC

    .........................................................

    D15/147

    Field of Classification Search

    USPC ................. DS/349,

    354; 0151147;

    209/262,

    209/282, 283, 309,

    363,

    365.1, 659, 660,

    209/664, 666, 667, 668, 671, 672, 930; 403/344

    See application file for complete search history.

    References Cited

    U.S. PATENT

    DOCUMENTS

    136,105 A *

    D369,817 s *

    6,371,305 Bl

    2/1873 Hamachck ....

    .. ..

    ....

    .. .. ..

    4/3 51

    5/1996 Hauch ............ ............. D15/147

    412 2

    Austin et al.

    USOOD690749S

    (10)

    Patent No.:

    (45) Date of Patent:

    US D690,749 S

    **

    Oct. 1, 2013

    6,648,145 132 11/2003 Davis eta .

    7,004,332 132

    212 6

    Davis

    7,661,537

    Bl

    2/2010 Sewell

    D630,659

    s

    *

    1/2011 Dibbs ........... DIS/147

    D631,900 s

    *

    2/2011 Prochaska et a . ........... 015/147

    D680,419

    s

    * 4/2013 Green eta .

    '

    ..... D8/354

    2009/0045032 A I * 2/2009

    Yamagishi eta .

    ........... 194/344

    20 I

    0/0264069 A

    I

    * 10/2010

    Green eta .

    ......... 209 262

    201110108467 AI* 5/2011

    Campbell eta . ............. 209/522

    201110147281

    A1

    *

    6/2011 Davis ...... ....... ....... ...... .. 209/671

    2011/0303587

    A1

    *

    12/2011

    Doppstadt ct

    a .

    ............

    2 91672

    2012/0325729 AI* 12/2012 Cappozzo ..................... 209 369

    *

    cited by examiner

    Primary Examiner

    Patricia Palasik

    (74) Attorney Agent

    or

    Firm···· Maine

    Cemota Rardin

    57) CLAIM

    The

    ornamental design

    for a sorting disk,

    as shown and

    described.

    DESCRIPTION

    FIG. is a perspective view of a

    sorting

    disk;

    FIG. 2 is a top view thereof;

    FIG.

    3

    is a left

    side view

    thereof;

    FIG.

    4

    is a

    bottom view

    thereof;

    FIG. 5 is a right

    side view

    thereof;

    FIG. 6 is a front view thereof; and,

    FIG. 7 is a

    back view

    thereof.

    1 Claim, 7 D rawing Sheets

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    U.S.

    atent

    Oct. 1, 2013

    Sheet of 7 US D690,749 S

    F

    l(- 1

    J .

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    U S Patent Oct 1 2013

    Sheet 2 of

    US

    D690

    749 S

    FIG 2

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    U.S. atent

    Oct. 1 2013 Sheet 3 of US D690 749 S

    FIG. 3

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    U.S. Patent

    Oct. 1 2013

    Sheet 4 of

    US D690 749 S

    ..-

     

    FIG

    4

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    U.S.

    atent

    Oct. 1 2013 Sheet 5

    of US D690 749 S

    FIG. 5

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    U.S. atent

    Oct. 1 2013

    Sheet 6

    of

    US D690 749 S

    FIG. 6

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    U.S. atent

    Oct. l 2013

    Sheet 7

    of7

    US D690 749 S

    FIG. 7

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    EXHI IT

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    Case 5:15-cv-01137-GTS-TWD Document 1-2 Filed 09/21/15 Page 2 of 2

    VIA FIRST CLASS MAIL

    AND

    EMAIL

    to

    [email protected]

    Mr. Steven Tool

    Director

    o

    Sales Marketing

    Polymeric Technology,

    Inc.

    (D/B/A Poly-Tek)

    1900

    Marina

    Blvd.

    San

    Leandro, CA 94577

    Re: Patent Infringement

    Dear Mr. Tool:

    M INE CERNOTA RARDlN

    ADVOCATI RES MENTIS

    September I

    5

    20

    14

    We

    are counsel

    to

    JJG

    IP

    Holdings, LLC owner

    o

    federal patent rights

    in

    and

    to

    a sorting

    elise

    design, which

    is

    used in

    their

    line o

    sorting equipment

    for use in

    material recovery facilities. Enclosed

    for

    yom reference

    is

    a copy ol'

    United States Patent

    No.

    D 690,749.

    t

    has

    come

    to

    our attention that your company

    has been

    offering a copy

    o

    our client's patented sorting disc (see

    attached), without authorization, even going

    so far

    as

    to

    solicit current Green Machine customers

    via email.

    This

    activity is causing irreparable harm and

    may

    constitute patent infringement.

    We

    must insist that you immediately cease

    all

    sales o

    the

    sorting

    elise

    destroy your entire inventory

    o

    such product

    and refrain from offering it for sale during the remaining term o the aforementioned patent. While JJG IP Holdings,

    LLC

    has

    no

    desire to institute a lawsuit, if

    you fail

    to accede to our requests

    we

    shall be forced to consider our

    options.

    We

    will expect your confirmation o compliance

    by

    October I 2014.

    Enclosure:

    United States Patent Number D690,749

    Picture

    o

    Polymeric Technology,

    Inc.

    Sorting

    Disc

    547 Amherst Street- 3rd Floor· Nashua N 03063-4000

    ·Office:

    603.886.6100 ·Fax:

    603.886.4796

    AOVOCA:fl RES Mr:N'riS

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    5:15-CV-1137 (GTS/TWD)

    #0206-3422480$400 GTS   TWD

    5:15-cv-1137

    Case 5:15-cv-01137-GTS-TWD Document 1-3 Filed 09/21/15 Page 1 of 2

    JS 44 (Rev. 12/12)

    CIVIL COVER SHEET

    The

    JS

    44 civil cover sheet and the information contained herein neither replace nor supplement the filing and service

    of

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    Case 5:15-cv-01137-GTS-TWD Document 1-3 Filed 09/21/15 Page 2 of 2 IS 44 Reverse (Rev. 12/12)

    INSTRUCTIONS FOR ATTORNEYS COMPLETING CIVIL COVER SHEET

    FORM JS 44

    Authority For Civil Cover Sheet

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