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1 Gregory P. Stone (State Bar No. 078329) Rollin A. Ransom (State Bar No. 196126)
Steven M. Perry (State Bar No. 106154) SIDLEY AUSTIN LLP
2 Sean Eskovitz (State Bar No. 241877) 555 West Fifth Street, Suite 4000
MUNGER, TOLLES & OLSON LLP Los Angeles, California 90013-1010
3 355 South Grand Avenue, 35th Floor Telephone: (213) 896-6000
Los Angeles, California 90071-1560 Facsimile: (213) 896-6600
4 Telephone: (213) 683-9100 Email: rransom@sidley.com
Facsimile: (213) 687-3702
5 Email: gregory.stone@mto.com; Pierre J. Hubert (Pro Hac Vice)
steven.perry@mto.com; sean.eskovitz@mto.com Craig N. Tolliver (Pro Hac Vice)
6 McKOOL SMITH PC
Peter A. Detre (State Bar No. 182619) 300 West 6th Street, Suite 1700
7 Carolyn Hoecker Luedtke (State Bar No. 207976) Austin, Texas 78701
Jennifer L. Polse (State Bar No. 219202) Telephone: (512) 692-8700
8 MUNGER, TOLLES & OLSON LLP Facsimile: (512) 692-8744
560 Mission Street, 27th Floor Email: phubert@mckoolsmith.com;
9 San Francisco, California 94105 ctolliver@mckoolsmith.com
Telephone: (415) 512-4000
10 Facsimile: (415) 512-4077
Email: peter.detre@mto.com;
11 carolyn.luedtke@mto.com; jen.polse@mto.com
12 Attorneys for RAMBUS INC.
13 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
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RAMBUS INC., CASE NO.: C 05-00334 RMW
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Plaintiff, RAMBUS INC.’S OPPOSITION TO
18 NANYA’S MOTION TO REOPEN
vs. DISCOVERY AS TO CERTAIN
19 DEPOSITIONS
HYNIX SEMICONDUCTOR INC., et al.,
20 Date: October 1, 2008
Defendants. Time: 8:30 a.m.
21 Judge: Hon. Read A. Ambler (Ret.)
Courtroom: Telephonic Hearing
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RAMBUS’S OPPOSITION TO NANYA’S
6003914.1 MOTION TO REOPEN DISCOVERY;
CASE NO. C 05-334 RMW
Case 5:05-cv-00334-RMW Document 2301 Filed 09/24/2008 Page 2 of 12
1 I. STATEMENT OF FACTS
2 A. Two Weeks Before the Close of Discovery, Nanya Noticed Seven Third-Party
Depositions for the Last Week of Discovery.
3
The Patent Trial Scheduling Order set August 29, 2008, as the deadline for
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completing fact discovery. With just over two weeks remaining before the discovery cut-off,
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Nanya began emailing a wave of subpoenas to Rambus as “notice” of third-party depositions to
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be taken during the last week of discovery. The first subpoena arrived on August 12, 2008, for
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Juan Pineda. Declaration of Rollin A. Ransom, Exh. A. Three days later, on August 15, 2008,
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four more arrived for Howard Kalter, David Chapman, Earnest Powell, and Mark Kellogg. Id.,
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Exh. B. On August 20, 2008, another arrived for Winston Lee. Id., Exh. C. And, finally, one
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more arrived for Wingyu Leung on August 21, 2008. Id., Exh. D.
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Nanya did not confer with Rambus before selecting the noticed dates, as required
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by Civil Local Rule 30-1, and set all of them for the last week of discovery, during which time
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there were already at least nine other depositions taking place. Declaration of Rosemarie T.
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Ring, ¶ 13. Rambus heard nothing more from Nanya about these depositions until August 22,
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2008, when Rambus contacted lead counsel for the Manufacturers in an attempt to resolve issues
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that parties had been discussing with respect to specific witnesses, including scheduling for the
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depositions of Craig Hampel, Donald Stark, and a third-party witness subpoenaed by Rambus,
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and Rambus’s objections to the 30(b)(6) notice served on Rambus by the Manufacturers. Ransom
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Decl., ¶ 6. The parties held a telephone conference that afternoon (the “August 22 Meeting”). Id.
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B. At the August 22 Meeting, Nanya Informed Rambus that the Third Party
21 Witnesses Were Not Available on the Noticed Dates and that Nanya Intended
to Take Their Depositions After the Close of Discovery.
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During the August 22 Meeting, after the parties completed their discussion of the
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above topics, Nanya read off the names of the seven third-party witnesses that had been noticed
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the week before (two days for Lee and one day for Leung). Ransom Decl., ¶ 7. Nanya stated that
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it had not been in contact with three of the third-party witnesses. Id. With respect to the
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remaining four, Nanya did not indicate that any of the depositions would go forward on the
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noticed dates. On the contrary, Nanya stated that, with the exception of one, none of the
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RAMBUS’S OPPOSITION TO NANYA’S
6003914.1 -2- MOTION TO REOPEN DISCOVERY;
CASE NO. C 05-334 RMW
Case 5:05-cv-00334-RMW Document 2301 Filed 09/24/2008 Page 4 of 12
1 witnesses were available until September—after the close of discovery. Id. Nanya did not
2 propose any dates for depositions because Nanya was not sure of its own availability on the
3 identified dates. Id. Essentially, Nanya announced to Rambus that it had no intention or ability
4 to take the third-party depositions before the discovery cut-off but nevertheless was planning to
5 go forward with them after the close of discovery.
6 This was the first time the issue of scheduling these depositions was ever raised
7 with Rambus. Ransom Decl., ¶ 7. Unlike the other depositions addressed on the call, there had
8 been no discussion of these third-party witnesses leading up to the August 22 Meeting—only one
9 week before the discovery cut-off. Id. Given Nanya’s unilateral decision to take these
10 depositions after the discovery cut-off, Rambus made it clear that the parties’ discussion of
11 allowing certain depositions to go forward after the close of discovery was not a license to ignore
12 the discovery cut-off in scheduling new depositions. Id. Nanya never sought Rambus’s
13 agreement to allow the third-party depositions to go forward after the close of discovery, and
14 Rambus never gave it. Id.
15 C. Rambus Never Agreed to Extend the Discovery Cut-Off for All Depositions
Noticed on or Before August 22, 2008.
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In its motion, Nanya asserts that, in the August 22 Meeting, Rambus agreed that all
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depositions that had been noticed or subpoenaed on or before August 22, 2008, could go forward
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after the discovery cutoff, including those for the third-party witnesses. Motion at 2-3. No such
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agreement was made during the August 22, 2008 Meeting. Ransom Decl., ¶ 7. The following
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email from the Manufacturers to Rambus on August 28, 2008, six days after the August 22, 2008
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Meeting, seeking Rambus’s agreement on this and other terms of the “proposed agreement”
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regarding depositions to be taken after the close of discovery, removes any doubt on this issue:
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In response to your email, the Manufacturers have no objection to
24 proceeding with the depositions of Messrs. Stark and Hampel on
25 September 9th, assuming the parties can agree to the general
framework for the extension of the discovery cut-off for
26 depositions discussed last Friday. Under this proposed agreement,
the parties will not object on the basis of timeliness to depositions
27 taken after the close of discovery, as long as the corresponding
deposition notices or subpoenas were sent on, or before, August
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RAMBUS’S OPPOSITION TO NANYA’S
6003914.1 -3- MOTION TO REOPEN DISCOVERY;
CASE NO. C 05-334 RMW
Case 5:05-cv-00334-RMW Document 2301 Filed 09/24/2008 Page 5 of 12
12 As you and I discussed over the phone this past Friday morning,
Rambus did not agree in the August 22, 2008 meet and confer to a
13 blanket agreement that would allow all depositions noticed on or
before a particular date to go forward after the close of discovery
14 and therefore would not agree to include such language in the
stipulation. The purpose of my call to you on Friday was to
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discuss your email to Jen Polse dated August 28, 2008. I told you
16 that Rambus agreed to your proposal allowing for supplementation
of the parties’ opening expert reports based on depositions taken
17 after the close of discovery and setting the deadline for such
supplementation as September 19. Rambus also agreed that the
18 deadline for filing motions to compel related to depositions taken
after the close of discovery would be 7 calendar days after the date
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of the deposition (tracking L.R. 26-2). But, with respect to the
20 blanket agreement referred to in your August 28, 2008 email, and
again below, allowing all depositions noticed by August 22, 2008
21 to go forward after the close of discovery, I told you that Rambus
had not and would not agree to such a rule. I said that, instead, the
22 stipulation would identify specific witnesses that the parties had
agreed could go forward after the discovery cutoff. You agreed
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and I began drafting the stipulation to reflect that approach. If you
24 have a different understanding, please say so.
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Ring Decl. ¶ 4, Exh. B (emphasis added). The above communications speak for themselves.
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Rambus never agreed to allow depositions noticed on or before August 22, 2008 to go forward
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after the close of discovery. Even the Manufacturers acknowledged this on August 28, 2008,
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RAMBUS’S OPPOSITION TO NANYA’S
6003914.1 -4- MOTION TO REOPEN DISCOVERY;
CASE NO. C 05-334 RMW
Case 5:05-cv-00334-RMW Document 2301 Filed 09/24/2008 Page 6 of 12
1 when it sought Rambus’s acceptance of a “proposed agreement” addressing this point. The
2 following day, on August 29, 2008, Rambus informed the Manufacturers in no uncertain terms
3 that it did not accept their “proposed agreement.” None of the Manufacturers, including Nanya,
4 have ever disputed the above email from Rambus detailing the parties’ meet and confer on
5 August 29, 2008. Nor, of course, have they ever disputed the content of their own email to
6 Rambus on August 28, 2008, making clear that the supposed agreement in the August 22 Meeting
7 Nanya now relies on to excuse its lack of diligence in taking these depositions never existed. But
8 Nanya has chosen not to cite or attach these communications to its motion, which also speaks for
9 itself.
10 D. The Delay in Filing the Discovery Stipulation Was Due to Nanya’s Continued
Lack of Diligence in Addressing Discovery Issues With Rambus.
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On August 28, 2008, in light the impending discovery cutoff the following day,
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Rambus contacted the Manufacturers and suggested that the parties file a stipulation and proposed
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order addressing the depositions that the parties had agreed could be taken after the close of
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discovery. Ring Decl., ¶ 2. That evening, the Manufacturers sent an email to Rambus seeking
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Rambus’s acceptance of a “proposed agreement” regarding depositions to be taken after the close
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of discovery. Id. ¶ 3 and Exh. A. Rambus called lead counsel for the Manufacturers the
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following morning, on August 29, 2008, accepting some terms of the proposed agreement and
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rejecting others. Id. ¶ 4 and Exh. B. Of most significance here, Rambus rejected the
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Manufacturer’s proposal to extend the discovery cutoff for all depositions noticed or subpoenaed
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on or before August 22, 2008, and made clear that the stipulation would “identify specific
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witnesses that the parties had agreed could go forward after the discovery cutoff.” Exh. B. Lead
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counsel for the Manufacturers agreed to these terms and Rambus began drafting the stipulation in
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accordance with that agreement. Ring Decl., Exh. B.
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Later that day, Nanya called Rambus directly to discuss scheduling for the
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deposition of Wingyu Leung, one of the third-party witnesses. Ring Decl., ¶ 5. Rambus agreed
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to allow Mr. Leung’s deposition to be taken after the close of discovery on September 11, 2008.
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Id. Based on this agreement, Rambus informed Nanya that Mr. Leung would be included in the
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RAMBUS’S OPPOSITION TO NANYA’S
6003914.1 -5- MOTION TO REOPEN DISCOVERY;
CASE NO. C 05-334 RMW
Case 5:05-cv-00334-RMW Document 2301 Filed 09/24/2008 Page 7 of 12
1 discovery stipulation. Id. At this point, Nanya volunteered that it would send an email later that
2 day with other information to be included in the stipulation. Ring Decl., ¶ 4. Contrary to
3 Nanya’s assertion, Rambus never asked Nanya to send “a list of the individuals to be included in
4 the stipulation.” Motion at 3; Ring Decl., ¶ 4.
5 At 4:25 p.m. that afternoon, having received no email from Nanya, Rambus sent
6 the following email to the Manufacturers expressing concern over whether they would be able to
7 file the stipulation that day given the late hour:
8 As noted below, I am drafting a stipulation and proposed order
extending the discovery cutoff with respect to specific depositions
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and related discovery issues. I understand that Nanya is to provide
10 information that must be included in the stipulation. Given the late
hour, I am concerned as to whether we will be able to file this
11 today given the number of people who must review and sign off on
the stipulation and proposed order before filing.
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Would Nanya please advise on when it expects to provide this
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information and would the rest of the group please advise on your
14 availability to review the stipulation this evening or over the
weekend, if need be.
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Ring Decl., ¶ 6 Exh. D. At 5:30 p.m., Rambus received an email from Nanya identifying a list of
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30(b)(6) topics and witnesses that Rambus had never agreed could go forward after the close of
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discovery. Ring Decl., ¶ 7 Exh. E. Rambus sent the following email in response:
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As I have not heard from counsel for Hynix or Samsung, and need
19 time to review with my client the list of deposition witnesses and
topics provided by Nanya below as most of them were not among
20 those addressed in Sven’s email, we will have to postpone filing
21 the stipulation until next week.
Ring Decl., ¶ 7 Exh. E. The following week, on September 3, 2008, the Manufacturers sent an
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email to Rambus which ignored the substance of the parties’ meet-and-confer on August 29,
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2008, in which Rambus rejected the Manufacturers’ proposal made the day before to extend the
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discovery cut-off for all depositions noticed or subpoenaed on or before August 22, 2008. Ring
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Decl., ¶ 9. Not surprisingly, that email, excerpted below, is the only communication between the
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Manufacturers and Rambus quoted in Nanya’s motion:
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1 should be very simple. The parties agreed during our August 22,
2008 meet and confer call that Rambus would not object on the
2 basis of timeliness to depositions taken after the discovery cut-off
3 last Friday, as long as the corresponding deposition notices or
subpoenas were sent on, or before, August 22, 2008. This was
4 what I circulated last week without objection from Rambus and all
these depositions fall within that category. Indeed, the parties
5 specifically discussed the individuals mentioned in Tess’s email
during the August 22 call. Please let us know when Rambus will
6 be circulating a stipulation.
7 Ring Decl., ¶ 9 Exhibit G. Counsel for Rambus responded to this email immediately detailing the
8 parties’ agreement regarding the substance of the stipulation as discussed on August 29, 2008.
9 Ring Decl., ¶ 4 Exhibit B. The following day, on September 4, 2008, counsel for Rambus
10 circulated a draft stipulation with the cover email explaining that it was limited to witnesses and
11 30(b)(6) topics for which the parties had reached agreement. Ring Decl., ¶ 10 Exhibit H.
12 On September 4, 2008, lead counsel for the Manufacturers and Nanya called
13 Rambus to discuss the third-party witnesses. Ring Decl. ¶ 11. Nanya stated its view that the
14 third-party witnesses should be included in the stipulation based on the supposed agreement
15 reached by the parties in the August 22 Meeting to allow all depositions noticed or subpoenaed on
16 or before August 22, 2008 to go forward after the close of discovery. Id. Rambus again stated its
17 disagreement with Nanya on this issue. Rambus and Nanya agreed to disagree. Id. Nanya then
18 asked Rambus if it would now agree to extend the discovery cutoff for these witnesses. Id. On
19 September 5, 2008, Rambus informed Nanya that it would not. Ring Decl., ¶ 12. Nanya
20 informed Rambus that it would make a motion to reopen discovery with respect to the third-party
21 witnesses and this Motion followed. Id.
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II. ARGUMENT
23 Nanya’s motion should be denied because Nanya was not diligent in attempting to
24 take the third-party depositions within the time period set by the court for fact discovery and
25 therefore cannot show “good cause” for modifying the Patent Trial Scheduling Order to allow
26 them to go forward now. “Rule 16(b)’s ‘good cause’ standard primarily considers the diligence
27 of the party seeking the amendment.” Johnson v. Mammoth Recreations, Inc., 975 F.2d 604, 609
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RAMBUS’S OPPOSITION TO NANYA’S
6003914.1 -7- MOTION TO REOPEN DISCOVERY;
CASE NO. C 05-334 RMW
Case 5:05-cv-00334-RMW Document 2301 Filed 09/24/2008 Page 9 of 12
1 (9th Cir. 1992). “If that party was not diligent, the inquiry should end.” Id. In addition,
2 allowing these depositions to go forward now would prejudice Rambus and impose a significant
3 burden on Rambus given the Samsung trial that is currently ongoing and other impending
4 deadlines in the Patent Trial Scheduling Order. Accordingly, the court should deny Nanya’s
5 motion.
6 A. Nanya’s Claimed Reliance on Rambus’s Supposed Agreement to Allow the
Third-Party Depositions to Go Forward After the Discovery Cutoff Does Not
7 Constitute “Good Cause.”
8 Nanya’s only explanation for its failure to take the third-party depositions before
9 the discovery cutoff is its claimed reliance on Rambus’s supposed agreement to allow these
10 depositions to go forward after the close of discovery. This does not constitute “good cause” for
11 modifying the Patent Trial Scheduling Order.
12 First, as set forth above, there was no agreement by Rambus, before, during, or
13 after the August 22 Meeting, to allow all depositions noticed or subpoenaed on or before August
14 22, 2008 to go forward after the close of discovery.
15 Second, Nanya’s attempt to blame its failure to take these depositions before the
16 close of discovery on this supposed agreement is disingenuous and belied by its own conduct.
17 Nanya waited until two weeks before the close of discovery to notice these depositions, even
18 though the issue to which this testimony is supposedly relevant has been in the case since it was
19 filed, and Nanya has either known about or could easily have identified these witnesses early in
20 the discovery process based on documents and testimony in related cases that have been available
21 to it and the other Manufacturers for years.
22 Nanya states that it identified the JEDEC witnesses through an “investigation”
23 showing that they “attended [JEDEC] meetings … in the late 1980s and mid 1990s time frame”
24 which is expected by Nanya to result in “testimony that will, among other things, rebut Rambus’
25 claims that the JEDEC member companies stole Rambus’ inventions.” Motion at 1-2, 5. But
26 Nanya and the rest of the Manufacturers have had the JEDEC attendance lists for the relevant
27 time frame for years and could have used them to “investigate,” identify, and depose the JEDEC
28 witnesses long before now. In addition, testimony of the so-called JEDEC witnesses (or
RAMBUS’S OPPOSITION TO NANYA’S
6003914.1 -8- MOTION TO REOPEN DISCOVERY;
CASE NO. C 05-334 RMW
Case 5:05-cv-00334-RMW Document 2301 Filed 09/24/2008 Page 10 of 12
1 testimony about them) taken in other Rambus Related Actions has been available to Nanya and
2 the other Manufacturers for years. For example, Kalter, Kellogg and Powell were all deposed in
3 the Micron Delaware case in mid-2001 and in the FTC proceedings in early 2003. In addition,
4 Howard Sussman testified in the Micron Delaware case (also in mid-2001) about Chapman’s and
5 Pineda’s involvement in early SDRAM development. Nanya and the other Manufacturers would
6 have gotten these transcripts long ago under the JCMO.
7 Nanya offers no explanation for its delay in noticing these depositions until two
8 weeks before the close of discovery. If it is true, as Nanya now contends, that its inability to
9 obtain testimony from these witnesses would be “severely prejudicial” to its case, Nanya should
10 have noticed these depositions long ago. Motion at 5. Moreover, most of the witnesses reside
11 out-of-state and none have given Nanya reason to believe that they would voluntarily appear to
12 testify at trial. Under these circumstances, and in light of the already busy deposition schedule
13 leading up to the discovery cut-off, Nanya could not have realistically expected to complete these
14 depositions within a two-week period.
15 Even if at the time these depositions were noticed Nanya and the other parties
16 could somehow have been able to find the resources to take them during the last week of
17 discovery, Nanya’s statements during the August 22 Meeting make plain that, at least by that
18 date, Nanya had no intention or ability to do so. During that meeting, Nanya informed Rambus
19 and the other Manufacturers that none of the third-party witnesses were available on the noticed
20 dates and, except for one, none were available until after the close of discovery. Nanya’s
21 assertion that it relied on an agreement supposedly entered into by the parties during the August
22 22 Meeting to explain why it did not take these depositions before the close of discovery is belied
23 by its admitted inability as of that date to take these depositions during the last week of discovery.
24 ********************
25 At bottom, Nanya’s attempt to blame Rambus for its own lack of diligence in
26 taking these third-party depositions rings hollow and by no stretch constitutes “good cause” to
27 modify the Patent Trial Scheduling Order.
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RAMBUS’S OPPOSITION TO NANYA’S
6003914.1 -9- MOTION TO REOPEN DISCOVERY;
CASE NO. C 05-334 RMW
Case 5:05-cv-00334-RMW Document 2301 Filed 09/24/2008 Page 11 of 12
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RAMBUS’S OPPOSITION TO NANYA’S
6003914.1 - 10 - MOTION TO REOPEN DISCOVERY;
CASE NO. C 05-334 RMW
Case 5:05-cv-00334-RMW Document 2301 Filed 09/24/2008 Page 12 of 12
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RAMBUS’S OPPOSITION TO NANYA’S
6003914.1 - 11 - MOTION TO REOPEN DISCOVERY;
CASE NO. C 05-334 RMW