IP Verse

PG Ltd., v. The Partnerships and Unincorporated Associations Identified in Schedule A - 1:2025cv03716

Explore the details of the PG Ltd., v. The Partnerships and Unincorporated Associations Identified in Schedule A case under case number 1:2025cv03716 involving a cause of action for Patent Infringement. Review key information about the parties involved, the patents in question, and the docket entries.

Case Details

Case Number
1:2025cv03716
Filing Date
Apr 7, 2025
Cause of Action
Patent Infringement
Status
OPEN
Case Link
View Case
Nature of Suit
830

Plaintiffs

The following plaintiffs are involved in this case, with their respective legal representatives for the case.

CompanyRepresented By
PG Ltd.,
Flener Ip & Business Law

Defendants

The following defendants are involved in this case, with their respective legal representatives for the case.

CompanyRepresented By
The Partnerships and Unincorporated Associations Identified in Schedule A -
dream_high -

Patents Involved in the Case

Patents not found - set an alert to get notified when patents are added.

Docket Entries

The Docket Entries section provides a chronological list of all significant filings and court actions in this case.

DateDocket EntryType

Set alerts for critical docket entry

Apr 29, 2025STATUS Report by PG Ltd., (Judge, James) (Entered: 04/29/2025)STATUS
Apr 25, 2025MINUTE entry before the Honorable Martha M. Pacold: In light of this court's previous order striking the deadlines at 9 , 10 , plaintiff's motion to stay, 12 , is denied as moot. (rao, ) (Entered: 04/25/2025)MINUTE
Apr 24, 2025 AMENDED complaint by PG Ltd., against dream_high (Attachments: # 1 Ex. 1, # 2 Ex. 2, # 3 Ex. 3, # 4 Ex. 4)(Judge, James) (Entered: 04/24/2025)AMENDED
Apr 22, 2025ORDER Signed by the Honorable Martha M. Pacold on 4/22/2025: The court has received plaintiff's motion to stay pending resolution of motion for reassignment. 12 . The motion indicates that a motion for reassignment has been filed in a related case. Id. 1 (PG Ltd. v. The P'ships & Unincorporated Ass'ns Identified on Sched. A, 25-cv-01145, Dkt 12 (N.D. Ill. Mar. 28, 2025)). In light of the pending motion in the related case, the court's previous deadlines to show cause why this case should not be dismissed or severed for improper joinder, 10 , and to file an unredacted version of the complaint publicly on the docket, 9 , are hereby stricken. By 4/29/2025, plaintiff should file a status report with an update on the case, including the pending motion for reassignment in PG Ltd. v. The P'ships & Unincorporated Ass'ns Identified on Sched. A, 25-cv-01145 (N.D. Ill. Mar. 28, 2025)). (rao, ) (Entered: 04/22/2025)ORDER
Apr 17, 2025MOTION by Plaintiff PG Ltd., to stay regarding text entry,,,,,,,,,, 10 , order on motion for leave to file,,,,,,,,,,, text entry,,,,,,,,,, 9 Pending Motion for Reassignment (Judge, James) (Entered: 04/17/2025)MOTION
Apr 17, 2025ATTORNEY Appearance for Plaintiff PG Ltd., by Zareefa Burki Flener (Flener, Zareefa) (Entered: 04/17/2025)ATTORNEY
Apr 10, 2025MINUTE entry before the Honorable Martha M. Pacold: By 4/24/2025, plaintiff is ordered to show cause why this case should not be dismissed or severed for improper joinder. Plaintiff is advised of the following: First, "[o]n motion or on its own, the court may at any time, on just terms, add or drop a party." Fed. R. Civ. P. 21(a). Second, sua sponte review of the propriety of joinder in Schedule A cases is a regular practice of courts in this district because plaintiffs "routinely file these multi-defendant cases... using cookie-cutter complaints that allege in a conclusory manner that 'on information and belief' each infringing defendant is inter-connected with the others." Viking Arm AS v. P'ships & Unincorporated Ass'ns Identified on Schedule "A", No. 24-cv-1566, 2024 WL 2953105, at *1 (N.D. Ill. June 6, 2024). Third, "[c]ourts generally find that claims against different defendants arose out of the same transaction or occurrence only if there is a logical relationship between the separate causes of action." Estee Lauder Cosms. Ltd. v. P'ships & Unincorporated Ass'ns Identified on Schedule "A", 334 F.R.D. 182, 185 (N.D. Ill. 2020) (citations and internal quotation marks omitted). Fourth, courts have held that "to be part of the same transaction requires shared, overlapping facts that give rise to each cause of action, and not just distinct, albeit coincidentally identical, facts." Id. (quoting In re EMC Corp., 677 F.3d 1351, 1359 (Fed. Cir. 2012)). Fifth, courts have held that the allegation that multiple defendants have infringed on the same copyright, trademark, or patent in the same way "does not create the substantial evidentiary overlap required to find a similar transaction or occurrence." Roadget Bus. Pte. Ltd. v. Schedule A Defs., No. 23-cv-17036, 2024 WL 1858592, at *6 (N.D. Ill. Apr. 29, 2024) (collecting cases). Finally, courts have held that the allegation that defendants "share unique identifiers, such as design elements and similarities of the unauthorized products offered for sale," is not sufficient to establish joinder. Ilustrata Servicos Design, Ltda. v. P'ships & Unincorporated Ass'ns Identified on Schedule "A", No. 21-cv-05993, 2021 WL 5396690, at *2 (N.D. Ill. Nov. 18, 2021); Art Ask Agency v. Individuals, Corps., Ltd. Liab. Cos., P'ships, & Unincorporated Ass'ns Identified on Schedule "A", No. 21-cv-06197, 2021 WL 5493226, at *2 (N.D. Ill. Nov. 23, 2021). (rao, ) (Entered: 04/10/2025)MINUTE
Apr 10, 2025MINUTE entry before the Honorable Martha M. Pacold: Plaintiff's motion for leave to file under seal, 4 , is denied. Plaintiff seeks leave to file under seal so that plaintiff may obtain a temporary restraining order freezing the defendants' assets before revealing the defendants' identities. Id. at 1. "The Supreme Court has made clear that courts lack the power to issue an asset freeze at the beginning of a case, unless that party is seeking equitable monetary relief." Zorro Productions, Inc. v. Individuals, Corporations, Limited Liability Companies, Partnerships, and Unincorporated Associations Identified on Schedule A Hereto, No. 23-cv-5761, 2023 WL 8807254, at *4 (N.D. Ill., Dec. 20, 2023) (citing Grupo Mexicano de Desarrollo S.A. v. All. Bond Fund, Inc., 527 U.S. 308 (1999)); see also Shenzhen Yihong Lighting Co., Ltd. v. The Partnerships and Unincorporated Associations Identified on Schedule A, No. 23-cv-1560, at Dkt. 15 (N.D. Ill. Nov. 22, 2023). Indeed, "[a]s a general matter [ ] prejudgment asset restraints are not proper simply to establish a fund from which a later award of money damages can be satisfied." Id. (second alteration in original) (quoting Banister v. Firestone, No. 17-cv-8940, 2018 WL 4224444, at *9 (N.D. Ill. Sept. 5, 2018)). In Schedule A cases, plaintiffs often initially demand equitable relief in the form of an accounting of profits, but after obtaining a temporary asset freeze, plaintiffs uniformly shift their focus to demanding statutory damages. Id. at *3-4. In substance, then, if not in form, Schedule A plaintiffs seek prejudgment asset restraints to establish a fund from which money damages may be awarded. So, despite the demand in plaintiff's complaint that it be awarded defendants' profits, the court is not persuaded that plaintiff will actually seek or obtain such equitable relief-as opposed to statutory damages-in this case. See Zorro, 2023 WL 8807254, at *3-4. Thus, even if plaintiff's initial demand for an accounting of profits could provide this court with the power to issue a prejudgment asset freeze, see Grupo Mexicano, 527 U.S. at 333; Banister, 2018 WL 4224444, at *9, the court is not persuaded that such a freeze is warranted. Plaintiff's motion for leave to file under seal, 4 , is therefore denied. Plaintiff's sealed complaint, 5 , and attached exhibits, [5-1], [5-2], are stricken. If plaintiff wishes to proceed with this case, plaintiff must file an unredacted version of its complaint publicly on the docket by 4/17/2025. (rao, ) (Entered: 04/10/2025)MINUTE
Apr 8, 2025MAILED patent report to Patent Trademark Office, Alexandria VA. (Attachments: # 1 Exhibit)(rc, ) (Entered: 04/08/2025)MAILED
Apr 7, 2025MINUTE entry before the Executive Committee: Case reassigned to the Honorable Martha M. Pacold for all further proceedings pursuant to the provisions of 28 USC 294(b). Mailed notice (Attachments: # 1 Request for reassignment) (ags) (Entered: 04/08/2025)MINUTE
Apr 7, 2025ATTORNEY Appearance for Plaintiff PG Ltd., by Ying Chen (Chen, Ying) (Entered: 04/07/2025)ATTORNEY
Apr 7, 2025SEALED DOCUMENT by Plaintiff PG Ltd., Unredacted Complaint (Attachments: # 1 Schedule A, # 2 Ex.1)(Judge, James) (Entered: 04/07/2025)SEALED DOCUMENT
Apr 7, 2025MOTION by Plaintiff PG Ltd., for leave to file documents under seal (Judge, James) (Entered: 04/07/2025)MOTION
Apr 7, 2025ATTORNEY Appearance for Plaintiff PG Ltd., by James Edward Judge (Judge, James) (Entered: 04/07/2025)ATTORNEY
Apr 7, 2025CIVIL Cover Sheet (Judge, James) (Entered: 04/07/2025)CIVIL
Apr 7, 2025COMPLAINT filed by PG Ltd.,; Jury Demand. Filing fee $ 405, receipt number AILNDC-23312166. (Attachments: # 1 Schedule A, # 2 Ex.1, # 3 Ex.2, # 4 Ex.3)(Judge, James) (Entered: 04/07/2025)COMPLAINT