Inre: Porauto Industrial Co., Ltd. , 564 F. App'x 1023 ( 2014 )


Menu:
  • Case: 14-130   Document: 14     Page: 1    Filed: 05/05/2014
    NOTE: This order is nonprecedential.
    United States Court of Appeals
    for the Federal Circuit
    ______________________
    IN RE PORAUTO INDUSTRIAL CO., LTD.,
    ACCUAIRE CORP. AND CHIH-HSIANG HSU,
    Petitioners.
    ______________________
    2014-130
    ______________________
    On Petition for Writ of Mandamus to the United
    States District Court for the District of Nevada in No.
    2:12-cv-01859-LDG-NJK, Judge Lloyd D. George.
    ______________________
    ON PETITION
    ______________________
    Before LOURIE, DYK, and REYNA, Circuit Judges.
    LOURIE, Circuit Judge.
    ORDER
    Petitioners Accuaire Corp., Porauto Industrial Co.,
    Ltd., and Chih-Hsiang Hsu seek a writ of mandamus
    directing the United States District Court for the District
    of Nevada to dismiss the underlying patent infringement
    case. Respondents Kabo Tool Company and Chih-Ching
    Hsien oppose.
    In October 2012, respondents, a Taiwanese tool com-
    pany and its CEO, filed suit in a federal district court in
    Nevada for infringement of a U.S. patent. Petitioners,
    Case: 14-130    Document: 14     Page: 2   Filed: 05/05/2014
    2                        IN RE PORAUTO INDUSTRIAL CO., LTD.
    also Taiwanese residents, moved for dismissal of the
    complaint for lack of personal jurisdiction. The district
    court denied the motion on the papers based on, among
    other things, allegations that petitioners directly sold and
    distributed the accused products in Nevada through a
    long-standing distribution partnership with a Nevada
    corporation. The district court further found that the
    burden imposed on petitioners in having to litigate in
    Nevada did not outweigh the interest of the United States
    in protecting U.S. patents and Nevada’s interest in seek-
    ing redress for harms that have taken place in that state
    resulting from the alleged infringement.
    “The remedy of mandamus is a drastic one, to be in-
    voked only in extraordinary situations.” Kerr v. U.S. Dist.
    Court, 
    426 U.S. 394
    , 402 (1976). Accordingly, “three
    conditions must be satisfied before it may issue.” Cheney
    v. U.S. Dist. Court, 
    542 U.S. 367
    , 380 (2004). The peti-
    tioner must show a “‘clear and indisputable’” right to
    relief. 
    Id. at 381
    (quoting 
    Kerr, 426 U.S. at 403
    ). The
    petitioner must “lack adequate alternative means to
    obtain the relief” it seeks. Mallard v. U.S. Dist. Court,
    
    490 U.S. 296
    , 309 (1989); 
    Cheney, 542 U.S. at 380
    ; 
    Kerr, 426 U.S. at 403
    . And “even if the first two prerequisites
    have been met, the issuing court, in the exercise of its
    discretion, must be satisfied that the writ is appropriate
    under the circumstances.” 
    Cheney, 542 U.S. at 381
    .
    Petitioners have not met this standard. Based on the
    arguments in the papers, we are not prepared to issue a
    writ of mandamus to disturb the district court’s ultimate
    conclusion that jurisdiction over the petitioners in Nevada
    would be reasonable and fair. Nor have petitioners ex-
    plained why any argument concerning a lack of jurisdic-
    tion cannot be meaningfully reviewed on appeal after
    final judgment. Thus, petitioners have also failed to
    establish that they lack an alternative means to obtain
    the relief they seek. See Bankers Life & Cas. Co. v. Hol-
    land, 
    346 U.S. 379
    , 383 (1953) (“[I]t is established that
    Case: 14-130     Document: 14    Page: 3    Filed: 05/05/2014
    IN RE PORAUTO INDUSTRIAL CO., LTD.                           3
    the extraordinary writs cannot be used as substitutes for
    appeals . . . even though hardship may result from delay
    and perhaps unnecessary trial[.]”).
    Accordingly,
    IT IS ORDERED THAT:
    The petition for a writ of mandamus is denied.
    FOR THE COURT
    /s/ Daniel E. O’Toole
    Daniel E. O’Toole
    Clerk of Court
    s26