Free Response to Motion - District Court of Delaware - Delaware


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EXHIBIT 1

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EXHIBIT 3
Unreported Decisions eSpeed, Inc. v. Brokertec USA, 2004 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 19760 (D. Del. Sept. 13, 2004) ................................. Tab A Monsanto Company v. Syngenta Seeds, Inc., 2006 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 54534 (D. Del. Aug. 4, 2006) ....................................Tab B Telcordia Technologies, Inc. v. Alcatal S.A., 2005 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10194 (D. Del. May 27, 2005)...................................Tab C

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LEXSEE 2004 U.S. DIST. LEXIS 19760 eSPEED, INC.; CANTOR FITZGERALD, L.P.; CFPH, L.L.C., and eSPEED GOVERNMENT SECURITIES, INC., Plaintiffs, v. BROKERTEC USA, L.L.C.; BROKERTEC GLOBAL, L.L.C.; GARBAN, LLC; ICAP PLC; OM AB; and OM TECHNOLOGY (U.S.), INC., Defendants. Civil Action No. 03-612--KAJ UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF DELAWARE 2004 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 19760 September 13, 2004, Decided PRIOR HISTORY: eSpeed, Inc. v. BrokerTec USA, L.L.C., 2004 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 20589 (D. Del., Sept. 9, 2004) DISPOSITION: [*1] Motion of defendant ICAP Plc to dismiss for lack of personal jurisdiction granted. Plaintiffs' contingent cross motion to compel discovery denied.

JORDAN, District Judge I. INTRODUCTION This is a patent infringement case. Jurisdiction is proper under 28 U.S.C. § 1338. The plaintiffs filed their Complaint on June 30, 2004, naming [*2] BrokerTec USA L.L.C. ("BrokerTec"), BrokerTec Global, L.L.C., Garban, L.L.C. ("Garban"), OM Technology (U.S.), Inc., OM AB, and ICAP Plc ("ICAP") as defendants. (Docket Item ["D.I."] 1.) Presently before me is ICAP's Motion to Dismiss for Lack of Personal Jurisdiction, pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(2). (D.I. 161; the "Motion".) For the reasons that follow, ICAP's Motion will be granted. II. BACKGROUND A. The Parties The plaintiffs are all corporate entities recognized under the laws of the State of Delaware and have their principal places of business in New York, New York. (D.I. 1, PP 2- see also D.I. 512.) Defendants BrokerTec, -4; BrokerTec Global, L.L.C., and Garban are all limited liability companies organized under Delaware law and have their principal places of business in Jersey City, New Jersey. (Id., PP 5-7.) ICAP is a corporation organized and existing under the laws of the United Kingdom and has a principal place of business in the United States in Jersey City, New Jersey. (Id., P 8.) B. Factual Background

COUNSEL: Jack B. Blumenfeld, Esquire and Julia Heaney, Esquire, Morris, Nichols, Arsht & Tunnell, Wilmington, Delaware, counsel for plaintiffs. Of counsel: Gary A. Rosen, Esquire, Law Offices of Gary A. Rosen, P.C., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; David J. Wolfsohn, Esquire, Alan C. Promer, Esquire, and Michele D. Hangley, Esquire, Hangley Aronchick Segal & Pudlin, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Richard L. Horwitz, Esquire and David E. Moore, Esquire, Potter Anderson & Corroon LLP, Wilmington, Delaware, counsel for defendants. Of counsel: James W. Dabney, Esquire, Peter L. Simmons, Esquire, and Henry C. Lebowitz, Esquire, Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP, New York, New York. JUDGES: Kent A. Jordan, UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE. OPINION BY: Kent A. Jordan OPINION: MEMORANDUM OPINION Wilmington, Delaware

Shortly after ICAP filed its Motion, the parties stipulated to and engaged in [*3] jurisdictional discovery. (See D.I. 185.) Because the plaintiffs have the burden of proving that it is proper for me to exercise personal jurisdiction over ICAP in this District, see Provident Nat'l Bank v. California Federal Sav. & Loan Asso., 819 F.2d

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434, 437 (3d Cir. 1987), the following is taken largely from the plaintiffs' recitation of the facts (see D.I. 271 at 3-10), unless noted otherwise. The plaintiffs allege that all of the defendants are willfully and intentionally infringing U.S. Patent No. 6,560,580 B1 (issued May 6, 2003), which is entitled "Automated Auction Protocol Processor". (See D.I. 1, Ex. A.) ICAP, one of the six named defendants, is a public limited company incorporated in England and listed on the London Stock Exchange. (D.I. 162 at 2; D.I. 271 at 3.) n1 ICAP claims that it is not registered to conduct business in Delaware and that it has no registered agent for service of process in Delaware or any other state within the United States. (Id.) ICAP also asserts that it does not transact business, perform any work or services, or engage in any persistent course of conduct in Delaware. (Id.) ICAP characterizes itself as a "holding [*4] company" that is the "ultimate parent of a group of companies whose principal business is that of a worldwide voice and electronic interdealer broker of a variety of financial instruments in the wholesale markets." (D.I. 162 at 2.) n1 In support of its factual assertions pertaining to jurisdiction, ICAP cites the Declaration of Helen Broomfield, the Company Secretary of ICAP (attached to D.I. 162 as Ex. 1). In its 2003 Annual Report, ICAP described itself as the "world's largest voice and electronic interdealer broker" with "more than 2,800 staff, operating from 21 offices worldwide." (D.I. 271 at 3--4.) Further, ICAP defines itself as the parent company of an array of entities that are members of the "ICAP Group" (hereinafter the "ICAP Group" or the "Group"). (Id. at 4.) ICAP owns 100% of the twelve American subsidiaries that are a part of the Group. n2 (Id. at 4.) The Group is managed, as a whole, by the ICAP Board of Directors (the "Board"). (Id.) The Board approves the ICAP Group's budget and makes [*5] regular internal audit visits to the Group's operating companies in the United States. (Id. at 5, 9.) ICAP earns about 35 percent of its profits from its operations in the United States. (Id. at 9.) n2 BrokerTec and Garban are two of ICAP's subsidiaries. (D.I. 271 at 6.) Furthermore, the following members of the ICAP Group have filed certificates of amendment or correction in Delaware between 1999 and 2003: First Brokers Securities LLC, Garban Capital Markets LLC, Garban Corporates LLC, Garban Futures LLC, Garban Information Systems (Americas) LLC, Garban Securities LLC, Garban LLC, ICAP Services North America LLC, Wembley Asset Management LLC,

and Wrightson ICAP LLC. (Id. at 8 (citing D.I. 275, Ex. 30).) ICAP, together with its BrokerTec n3 and Garban subsidiaries, maintains two websites, namely, www.icap.com and www.brokertec.com. (Id. at 6.) These websites allow users to access and use the ICAP Group's accused electronic trading platforms n4 from anywhere in the world. (Id.) n3 ICAP acquired BrokerTec, a Delaware company, on May 7, 2003. (Id. at 7.) [*6]

n4 BrokerTec's Electronic Trading Network ("ETN") and Garban's Electronic Trading Community ("ETC"). (D.I. 271 at 6.) III. STANDARD OF REVIEW Pursuant to Rule 12(b)(2) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, a court may dismiss a suit for lack of jurisdiction over the person. According to the United States Supreme Court, before a court may exercise personal jurisdiction over a defendant, there must be more than notice to the defendant and a constitutionally sufficient relationship between the defendant and the forum. There must also be a basis for the defendant's amenability to service of summons. Absent consent, this means there must be authorization for service of summons on the defendant. Omni Capital Int'l v. Rudolf Wolff & Co., 484 U.S. 97, 104, 98 L. Ed. 2d 415, 108 S. Ct. 404 (1987). This principle is traditionally described as a two--step analysis: First, whether there is amenability to service and, second, whether the exercise of jurisdiction offends the defendant's right to due process. Rule 4(e)(1) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure [*7] states that service of a summons may be effected "pursuant to the law of the state in which the district court is located." The Delaware long-arm statute, 10 Del. C. § 3104(c), has been construed broadly to confer jurisdiction to the maximum extent possible under the due process clause. n5 La Nuova D&B S.p.A. v. Bowe Co. Inc., 513 A.2d 764, 768 (Del. 1986). I must nevertheless determine whether the exercise of personal jurisdiction is compatible with both the specific requirements of the

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Delaware long--arm statute and with defendant's constitutional rights to due process. Intel Corp. v. Silicon Storage Tech., Inc., 20 F. Supp. 2d 690, 694 (D. Del. 1998); see generally, Int'l Shoe Co. v. Washington, 326 U.S. 310, 90 L. Ed. 95, 66 S. Ct. 154 (1945). n5 According to the Federal Circuit, when the question before the court is the exercise of personal jurisdiction over an out--of--state accused infringer, the law of the Federal Circuit, "rather than that of the regional circuit in which the case arose," is applicable. Akro Corp. v. Luker, 45 F.3d 1541, 1543 (Fed. Cir. 1995). The Federal Circuit has instructed that, "in interpreting the meaning of state long-arm statutes, we defer to the interpretations of the relevant state and federal courts, including their determinations regarding whether or not such statutes are intended to reach to the limit of federal due process." Graphic Controls Corp. v. Utah Med. Prods., Inc., 149 F.3d 1382, 1386 (Fed. Cir. 1998). The Delaware Supreme Court has not collapsed the analysis under the Delaware long--arm statute into the constitutional due process analysis, as some courts have done. [*8] As noted previously, once a jurisdictional defense is raised, the burden is on the plaintiff to demonstrate with reasonable particularity that sufficient minimum contacts have occurred between the forum state and defendant to support jurisdiction. n6 Provident Nat'l Bank, 819 F.2d at 437; see also Ace & Co., Inc. v. Balfour Beatty PLC, 148 F. Supp. 2d 418, 422 (D. Del. 2001) (plaintiff must present facts that "establish with reasonable particularity" that the defendant is subject to personal jurisdiction). The plaintiff may demonstrate either specific or general jurisdiction. Specific jurisdiction arises when the particular cause of action arose from the defendant's activities with the forum state. American Bio Medica Corp. v. Peninsula Drug Analysis Co., Inc., 1999 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 12455, 1999 WL 615175 (D. Del. Aug. 3, 1999). General jurisdiction does not require that the defendant's contacts be related to the particular cause of action, but that the defendant has continuous or systematic contacts with the forum state. Id. N6 In this case, the parties agreed to conduct jurisdictional discovery shortly after ICAP filed its Motion (see supra at p. 2). The plaintiffs have filed a Contingent Cross Motion to Compel Discovery on the Issue of Personal Jurisdiction (D.I. 272) asking me to order ICAP to more fully respond to certain of the plaintiffs' jurisdictional discovery requests.

The parties had an ample opportunity to conduct jurisdictional discovery, and the plaintiffs have not persuaded me that ICAP improperly obstructed the course of that discovery. Furthermore, as discussed more fully infra at n.7, the discovery that the plaintiffs seek to compel is immaterial to the disposition of ICAP's Motion. Therefore, I will decide ICAP's Motion on the basis of the record currently before me, and the plaintiffs' Motion to Compel (D.I. 272) will be denied. [*9] The Delaware long--arm statute provides that personal jurisdiction is proper over any nonresident who, in person or through an agent: (1) Transacts any business or performs any character of work or service in the State; (2) Contracts to supply services or things in this State; (3) Causes tortious injury in the State by an act or omission in this State; (4) Causes tortious injury in the State or outside of the State by an act or omission outside of the State if the person regularly does or solicits business, engages in any other persistent course of conduct in the State or derives substantial revenue from services, or things used or consumed in the State; (5) Has an interest in, uses or possesses real property in the State; or (6) Contracts to insure or act as surety for, or on, any person, property, risk, contract, obligation or agreement located, executed or to be performed within the State at the time the contract is made, unless the parties otherwise provide in writing. 10 Del. C. § 3104(c). The above provisions have been construed "liberally so as to provide jurisdiction to the maximum extent possible" in order "to provide residents [*10] a means of redress against those not subject to personal service within the State." Boone v. Oy Partek Ab, 724 A.2d 1150, 1156--57 (Del. Super. 1997). IV. DISCUSSION ICAP asserts that it is not subject to jurisdiction in Delaware under any section of the Delaware long--arm statute. (D.I. 162 at 4-5.) The plaintiffs say that ICAP is subject to specific jurisdiction, under 10 Del C. § 3104(c)(1), on the basis of its website activities and its

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subsidiaries' actions in Delaware. (D.I. 271 at 11--16, 20.) The plaintiffs also argue that ICAP is subject to general jurisdiction under 10 Del. C. § 3104(c)(4) because it has "made continuous and systematic filings in Delaware relating to the formation, operation and cancellation" of its subsidiaries in Delaware (see supra at n.2). (Id. at 19.) First, I am unpersuaded that it is appropriate to exercise specific jurisdiction over ICAP in Delaware on the basis of its website activity alone. "Where the defendant is clearly doing business through its website in the forum state, and where the claim relates to or arises out of use of the website," it is proper to exercise [*11] specific jurisdiction over a defendant. See Toys 'R' Us, Inc. v. Step Two, S.A., 318 F.3d 446, 452--54 (3d Cir. 2003) (specific jurisdiction exists if "the defendant 'purposefully availed' itself of conducting activity in the forum state, by directly targeting its website to the state, knowingly interacting with residents of the forum state via its website, or through sufficient other related contacts."). In this case, the plaintiffs have come forward with evidence showing that ICAP's websites are accessible to computer users anywhere in the world. Mere accessibility of a website, though, is not a matter of much moment. It is interactivity and the conducting of business over the Internet that carries jurisdictional consequences. Toys 'R' Us, 318 F.3d at 452 (exercise of personal jurisdiction proper where commercial website's interactivity reflected specifically intended interaction with residents of the forum state) (citing Zippo Mfg. Co. v. Zippo Dot Com, Inc., 952 F. Supp. 1119, 1124 (W.D. Pa. 1997)). There is no evidence here that ICAP has any customers in Delaware, let alone customers who accessed ICAP's websites, downloaded the [*12] BrokerTec ETN or the Garban ETC, and then conducted trades from Delaware. n7 (See D.I. 271 at 20, 23.) Not only have the plaintiffs failed to show that ICAP specifically intended to interact with Delaware residents through its website, they have failed to show that there were any ICAP customers in Delaware who were actually capable of conducting electronic trading via ICAP's websites. Therefore, the plaintiffs have failed to prove that ICAP purposefully availed itself of conducting activity in Delaware by directly targeting its websites to Delaware or knowingly interacting with residents of Delaware through its websites, see Toys 'R' Us, 318 F.3d at 453, and I decline to exercise personal jurisdiction over ICAP on the basis of its website alone. n7 For that matter, there is no evidence that people in Delaware accessed ICAP's websites at all, i.e., while surfing the Internet. I am aware of the plaintiffs' request to compel further discovery from ICAP pertaining to the "ICAP Website Report" compiled by a company called Webtrends (see D.I.

273 at 7); however, that information is immaterial, since the plaintiffs haven't even shown, in the first instance, that ICAP has customers in Delaware who are able to actually conduct business through any ICAP websites. For this reason, and for the reasons stated supra at n.6, the plaintiffs' request to compel further discovery pertaining to Webtrends will be denied. [*13] I am also unpersuaded by the plaintiffs' second argument that the actions of ICAP's subsidiaries may be attributed to ICAP for the purpose of establishing specific jurisdiction. (Id. at 16.) As ICAP points out, "under the agency theory only precise conduct known to be instigated by the parent is attributed to the parent" for jurisdictional purposes. (D.I. 296 at 4- (citing C.R. -5 Bard v. Guidant Corp., 997 F. Supp. 556, 558--59 (D. Del. 1998)).) The record shows that ICAP owns twelve American subsidiaries that are a part of the ICAP Group, and that ICAP's Board manages the ICAP Group as a whole. However, there is no evidence that ICAP's Board exerted some particular control over BrokerTec, Garban, or other American subsidiaries, such that the conduct of those subsidiaries in Delaware would be attributed to ICAP. n8 Thus, the plaintiffs have failed to meet their burden of proving with reasonable particularity that exercising specific jurisdiction over ICAP is appropriate in this case. n8 To the extent that the plaintiffs are attempting to assert jurisdiction over ICAP under an alter ego theory, that theory is applicable only when "the party asserting jurisdiction [has established] some fraud, injustice, or inequity in the use of the corporate form." Ace & Co., Inc. v. Balfour Beatty PLC, 148 F. Supp. 2d 418, 425 (D. Del. 2001) (quoting C.R Bard, 997 F. Supp. at 559). The plaintiffs have not come forward with any evidence to establish those things in this case. [*14] In order for me to exercise general jurisdiction over ICAP, the plaintiffs must prove that ICAP has continuous or systematic contacts with Delaware. American Bio Medica Corp., 1999 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 12455, 1999 WL 615175 at *2. The plaintiffs say that ICAP "regularly transacts business within Delaware through the repeated formation, purchase, and operation of business entities" in Delaware. (D.I. 271 at 7.) The plaintiffs also argue that the ICAP Group has "merged and amended the articles and certificates for Delaware companies on numerous occasions." (Id. at 7--8.)

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I am unpersuaded by the plaintiffs' argument that, because ICAP bought BrokerTec and the ICAP Group filed amended certificates for certain subsidiaries in Delaware, ICAP has continuous or systematic contacts with Delaware. First, when ICAP bought BrokerTec, BrokerTec was already an established Delaware corporation. ICAP did not take any steps to form or incorporate BrokerTec in Delaware. Second, there is no evidence on the record before me that ICAP, through its Board or otherwise, has done anything to disregard the separate corporate status and management that its subsidiaries have. There is evidence on the record that members [*15] of the Board occasionally travel to the United States on business; however, there is no evidence that they travel to Delaware. Furthermore, the fact that certain subsidiaries filed certificates of amendment in Delaware does not mean that ICAP filed those certificates, or even knew that they were being filed. The plaintiffs have not set forth any reason why the activities, in Delaware, of ICAP's subsidiaries should be imputed to ICAP itself. Because I find that the plaintiffs have not demonstrated with reasonably particularity that ICAP has continuous or systematic contacts with Delaware, I will not exercise general jurisdiction over ICAP. Finally, the plaintiffs ask that I exercise jurisdiction over ICAP pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 4(k)(2), on the basis that ICAP has sufficient minimum contacts with the United States as a whole. (D.I. 271 at 29.) Personal jurisdiction pursuant to Rule 4(k)(2) may be exercised if (1) ultimately, the plaintiff's claim arises under federal law, (2) the defendant is beyond the jurisdictional reach of any state court of general jurisdiction, and (3) the federal court's exercise of personal jurisdiction [*16] over the defendant does not offend the Constitution

or other federal law. BP Chems. Ltd. v. Formosa Chem. & Fibre Corp., 229 F.3d 254, 258 (3d Cir. 2000). In this case, the plaintiffs' patent infringement claims arise under federal law. However, ICAP asserts that it would properly be subject to jurisdiction in New Jersey, because that is where BrokerTec and Garban are headquartered. (D.I. 296 at 20.) Because ICAP is admittedly within the jurisdictional reach of New Jersey, I decline to exercise jurisdiction over ICAP under Rule 4(k)(2). See ISI Int'l, Inc. v. Borden Ladner Gervais LLP, 256 F.3d 548, 552 (7th Cir. 2001) ("A defendant who wants to preclude use of Rule 4(k)(2) has only to name some other state in which the suit could proceed.") V. CONCLUSION For these reasons, ICAP's Motion (D.I. 161) will be granted and the plaintiffs' Contingent Cross Motion to Compel Discovery (D.I. 272) will be denied. An appropriate order will follow. ORDER For the reasons set forth in the Memorandum Opinion issued today, it is hereby ORDERED that defendant ICAP Plc's Motion to Dismiss for Lack of Personal Jurisdiction (D.I. 161) is GRANTED and [*17] the plaintiffs' Contingent Cross Motion to Compel Discovery (D.I. 272) is DENIED. Kent A. Jordan UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE September 13, 2004 Wilmington, Delaware

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LEXSEE 2006 U.S. DIST. LEXIS 54534 MONSANTO COMPANY, et al., Plaintiffs, v. SYNGENTA SEEDS, INC., et al., Defendants. Civ. No. 04-305-SLR UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF DELAWARE

2006 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 54534 August 4, 2006, Decided PRIOR HISTORY: Monsanto Co. v. Syngenta Seeds, Inc., 2006 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 54515 (D. Del., Aug. 4, 2006) COUNSEL: [*1] For Monsanto Company, Plaintiff: Richard L. Horwitz, David Ellis Moore, Potter Anderson & Corroon, LLP, Wilmington, DE.; John H. Bogart, John J. Rosenthal, Sean P. Beaty, Pro Hac Vice. For Monsanto Technology LLC, Plaintiff: Richard L. Horwitz, David Ellis Moore, Potter Anderson & Corroon, LLP, Wilmington, DE.; John J. Rosenthal, Pro Hac Vice. For DeKalb Genetics Corp, Plaintiff: David Ellis Moore, Richard L. Horwitz, Potter Anderson & Corroon, LLP, Wilmington, DE. For Syngenta Seeds Inc., Syngenta Biotechnology, Defendants: John W. Shaw, Karen Elizabeth Keller, Young, Conaway, Stargatt & Taylor, Wilmington, DE.; Seth Jason Reidenberg, Young Conaway Stargatt & Taylor, LLP, Wilmington, DE. For Garst Seed Company, Golden Harvest Seeds, Inc., Defendants: John W. Shaw, Karen Elizabeth Keller, Young, Conaway, Stargatt & Taylor, Wilmington, DE. For Syngenta Seeds Inc., Syngenta Biotechnology, Counter Claimants: John W. Shaw, Young, Conaway, Stargatt & Taylor, Wilmington, DE. For Monsanto Company, Monsanto Technology LLC, Counter Defendants: Richard L. Horwitz, Potter Anderson & Corroon, LLP, Wilmington, DE. For Garwood Seed Co., Golden Seed Company, LLC, [*2] Sommer Bros. Seed Company, Thorp Seed Co., JC Robinson Seeds, Inc., Defendants: John W. Shaw, Young, Conaway, Stargatt & Taylor, Wilmington, DE. For Advanta USA Inc, Syngenta Corporation, Syngenta Participations AG, Counter Defendants: John W. Shaw, Karen Elizabeth Keller, Young, Conaway, Stargatt & Taylor, Wilmington, DE. For Garst Seed Company, Syngenta AG, Golden Harvest Seeds, Inc., Syngenta Corporation, Counter Defendants: John W. Shaw, Young, Conaway, Stargatt & Taylor, Wilmington, DE. JUDGES: Sue L. Robinson, Chief Judge. OPINION BY: Sue L. Robinson OPINION: MEMORANDUM OPINION Dated: August 4, 2006 Wilmington, Delaware ROBINSON, Chief Judge I. INTRODUCTION On July 28, 2004, Syngenta Seeds, Inc. filed this antitrust action against Monsanto Company and Monsanto Technology LLC (collectively called "Monsanto"), alleging that Monsanto has monopolized the markets for glyphosate-tolerant corn ("GA21 corn") traits and European corn borer-tolerant corn traits and has attempted to monopolize the foundation corn seed

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market. Monsanto filed an amended answer with counterclaims against Syngenta AG, Syngenta Participations AG, Syngenta Corporation, Syngenta Seeds, [*3] Inc., Syngenta Biotechnology, Inc., Advanta USA, Inc., Gartst Seed Co., and Golden Harvest Seed Inc. n1 In its counterclaims, Monsanto alleges that counterclaim defendants misappropriated Monsanto's GA21 event and are improperly selling Monsanto's event as their own. The counterclaims include: (1) Reverse passing off under the Lanham Act; (2) False advertising under the Lanham Act; (3) Violations of the Delaware Deceptive Trade Practices Act; and (4) Tortious interference with a contract. (D.I. 77) n1 Syngenta Corporation, Syngenta Biotechnology, Inc., Advanta USA, Inc., Garst Seed Co., and Golden Harvest Seeds, Inc., together with Syngenta Seeds, Inc., are collectively referred to as the "Syngenta U.S. Companies".

company to all of the other Syngenta U.S. Companies engaged in the distribution, marketing and sale of genetically modified corn seeds. (D.I. 185 at P 5) Participations is a Swiss company, located in Basel, Switzerland, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Syngenta AG. (D.I. 171 at P 4) Like Syngenta AG, Participations is a holding company with no employees. (Id.) Participations owns interests in companies located outside of Switzerland that are in the agriculture, seeds and chemicals businesses. (Id.) Participations also owns intellectual property rights, which it licenses principally to affiliated companies. (Id.) B. Business of the Sygnenta U.S. Companies Syngenta Corporation is a Delaware [*5] corporation with its principal place of business in Wilmington, Delaware. (D.I. 172 at P 3) It is a holding company that owns, either directly or indirectly, Syngenta Seeds, Inc., Syngenta Biotechnology, Inc., and Garst Seed Company. n3 (Id.) Syngenta Corporation is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Participations and it is only one of more than 100 subsidiaries worldwide ultimately owned by Syngenta AG. (D.I. 171 at P 18) n3 The other Syngenta U.S. Companies are majority owned, directly or indirectly, by GH Holding, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Participations. (D.I. 172 at P 18)

Before the court is a motion to dismiss by Syngenta AG and Syngenta Participations AG ("Participations") for lack of personal jurisdiction. n2 (D.I. 169) n2 If the motion is denied, Syngenta AG and Participations also move for dismissal for failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted, adopting the arguments advanced by the Syngenta U.S. Companies in their motion. (D.I. 132)

[*4] II. BACKGROUND A. The Business Participations of Syngenta AG and

Syngenta Seeds, Inc. was formed under the laws of Delaware and is headquartered in Golden Valley, Minnesota. (D.I. 172 at P 5) It is engaged, among other things, in the production, marketing and sale of commercial seeds, including hybrid corn seeds. (Id.) C. Contacts With Delaware Syngenta AG's Executive Committee is based at corporate headquarters in Basel, Switzerland. (D.I. 185 at ex. 8) The Executive Committee is [*6] "responsible for the operational management of the Company." (Id.) The Executive Committee consists of a Chief Executive Officer ("CEO"), the Chief Operating Officers ("COO") of the Crop Protection and Seed business, and the heads of Syngenta AG's global functions. (Id.) Individual members of the Executive Committee include: (1)

Syngenta AG is a holding company located in Basel, Switzerland, formed in 1999 under the laws of Switzerland. (D.I. 171 at P 3) Syngenta AG became a public company in November 2000. (Id.) Syngenta AG has no employees and its business consists primarily of owning shares in companies in the agriculture, seeds and chemicals businesses. (Id.) Syngenta AG owns Syngenta Corporation, the parent

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Michael Mack, who is based in Basel and is Chairman and President of Syngenta Corporation in Delaware and the COO of Syngenta Seeds in Minnesota; (2) Jeff Beard, who is the COO of Syngenta Seeds; (3) John Atkin, who is the COO of Syngenta Corporation in Delaware and the COO of Syngenta Crop Protection in North Carolina; (4) David Lawrence, who is the head of Research and Technology for Syngenta AG and sits on the board of directors of Syngenta Biotechnology, Inc.; (5) Richard Steiblin, a former member of the Executive Committee, who also served as a board member of Syngenta Corporation in Delaware. (Id. at exs. 8, 9, 11, 12, 14, 15) Each of the Syngenta U.S. Companies has its own board of directors, which is separate from the boards of Syngenta AG and Participations, as well as from the Syngenta AG Executive Committee. (D.I. 171 at P 21; D.I. 172 [*7] at P 12) There are no overlapping members on the boards of Syngenta AG and the Syngenta U.S. Companies. (D.I. 171 at P 21) A few of the Participations directors and some Executive Committee members serve on the boards of certain of the Syngenta U.S. Companies. (D.I. 171 at ex. B) The board of directors of Syngenta AG has its own meetings, at times and locations separate and apart from the meetings of any Syngenta U.S. Companies' boards and the board of directors of Participations generally acts by written consent. (D.I. 171 at P 12, 21) Syngenta AG and Participations are not authorized to, and do not, direct the day-to-day operations of the Syngenta U.S. Companies. (D.I. 171 at P 19) The Syngenta U.S. Companies are managed by their own officers and employees, who have responsibility for the day-to-day operation of the business. (D.I. 172 at P 10) For example, Syngenta Seeds, Inc. and its United States affiliates in the seeds business develop and implement the United States sales and marketing strategy for GA21 corn seed. (Id.) These companies make the day-to-day decisions on what, where, when, and how to sell GA21 corn seed. (Id.) They hire and fire their own sales forces, [*8] adopt their own branding strategies, set their own prices, run their own promotions, and decide on their own which customers to target. (Id.) The Syngenta U.S. Companies maintain office, production, research, sales and distribution facilities in the United States, separate from the operations of Syngenta AG and Participations, neither of which has any facilities in the United States. (D.I. 171 at P 22; D.I. 172

at P 11) Syngenta Corporation and its subsidiaries also maintain their own books and records and prepare their own financial statements. (D.I. 171 at P 24; D.I. 172 at P 13) Syngenta Corporation files its own United States tax returns. (D.I. 172 at P 13) In accordance with Swiss law and international accounting standards, Syngenta AG does prepare a consolidated financial statement for it and its subsidiaries, which includes the results of Syngenta Corporation and its subsidiaries. (D.I. 171 at P 24) However, Syngenta Corporation and its U.S. affiliates are responsible for preparing their own financial statements, which are then consolidated with Syngenta AG's results. (D.I. 171 at P 24; D.I. 172 at P 13) D. Syngenta AG and Participations' Strategy to Misappropriate [*9] GA21 for Sale in the United States A four day meeting was held in Washington, D.C. to orchestrate a "strategy for bringing Syngenta branded GA21 to the [U.S.] market." (D.I. 185 at ex. 1) The meeting was attended by Adrian Dubock, the head of mergers and Acquisitions for Participations in Basel; Marian Flattery, the head of Global IP and Licensing for Participations in Basel; Ed Resler, Vice President and General Counsel, Plant Science, of Syngenta Seeds, Inc. in Minnesota; Jeff Stein, Regulatory Director at Syngenta Biotechnology, Inc. in North Carolina; and Erik Dunder, Regulatory Manager for GA21 for Syngenta Biotechnology, Inc. (D.I. 185 at ex. 1) To implement its strategy, Syngenta AG assembled a unit called the Corn Business Team. (D.I. 185, ex. 16 at 17) Until 2004, the Corn Business Team was formally a part of Syngenta AG and reported directly to Syngenta AG's Business Development Leadership and Technical Review Committees. (D.I. 185, ex. 16 at 152) The Corn Business Team was comprised of employees from Syngenta AG, Syngenta International AG, Syngenta Seeds, Syngenta Crop Protection, Syngenta Biotechnology, and Syngenta Corporation. n4 (D.I. 185, ex. 32 at 3, 5.1) The [*10] Corn Business Team required Syngenta AG's approval for important business decisions, such as deciding on a logo for the Agrisure trademark. (D.I. 185, ex. 37 at 3) n4 One member, Bill Dickheiser, was located in Delaware. (D.I. 185 at ex. 32)

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E. Syngenta Decisions n5

AG's

Control

Over

Business

310, 407) n6 The record is unclear as to whether the presentation was directed to Syngenta AG or the Syngenta U.S. Companies. The facts were derived from a business presentation and there is no clarification from Monsanto regarding what entities are encompassed by the term "Syngenta."

1. Delaware meeting A meeting took place in May of 2002 in Wilmington, Delaware. (D.I. 310, ex. A at 1) David Jessen did not attend the meeting, but testified regarding a Power Point presentation given at the meeting. (D.I. 310, ex. A at 1) In attendance and participating in the meeting were members of Syngenta AG's management and various employees of the Syngenta U.S. Companies. (D.I. 310, ex. A at 1) The goal of the meeting was to "gain a better understanding of the competitive threat we face from [the Monsanto product]." (Id.) The presentation sets forth other specific goals of the meeting, including: (1) Review a number of short-term actions that Syngenta n6 can take to reduce the penetration of Monsanto's [*11] product; (2) Consider the long term strategic options available to Syngenta to redefine its competitive position in the marketplace; and (3) Discuss obstacles to impact, how to overcome these obstacles, and next steps. (D.I. 310, ex. A at 2) The "Five Pillars" of the meeting were discussed: (1) "Create doubt about claims - Syngenta disputing Monsanto's claims about the performance and safety of its Roundup Ready trait;" (2) "Offer compelling alternatives -Syngenta offering its conventional seed along with its selective herbicide rather than Monsanto's Roundup Ready trait along with Roundup;" (3) "Drive up switching costs - Syngenta offering its customers financial incentives not to switch to Roundup Ready;" (4) "Non-market activities - Syngenta initiating legal action to impede Roundup Ready's growth;" and (5) "Redefine the playing field - Syngenta would counter Monsanto's and Pioneer's strategy of marketing their products as a complete package." (D.I. 407, ex. 1 at 10) A Steering Committee was set up to "provide overall direction" and "make decisions" regarding the project. (D.I. 310, ex. A at 2) A number of Syngenta AG employees attending the Delaware meeting are on the Steering [*12] Committee. (D.I. 310, ex. A at 2) n5 The court denies Monsanto's request for jurisdictional discovery due to its two supplemental record submissions and the extensive discovery already performed. However, the court will consider the supplemental record produced and, therefore, grants Monsanto's two motions to supplement the record. (D.I.

2. Syngenta AG's Executive Committee Syngenta AG's Executive Committee had the "final say" over whether a product was commercialized. n7 (Id. at 7) Approval was also required before going forward in a development stage. (Id.) The final budget for a product required approval from the Executive Committee of Syngenta AG. Before Syngenta Seeds could invest in a capital item or commit [*13] to a capital item, it had to get the approval of the Executive Committee in Switzerland. (D.I. 310, ex. A at 8) The CEO of Syngenta AG and the Executive Committee also made decisions regarding the acquisition of Garst and Golden Harvest. (D.I. 310, ex. A at 9, 10) n7 However, related specifically to GA21, the approvals in place were not addressed in the testimony. (D.I. 310, ex. A at 7)

Syngenta AG's Executive Committee was allegedly involved in the development, approval and execution of a strategy to: (1) Acquire certain rights to GA21 from Bayer AG; (2) Acquire seed companies (Garst and Golden Harvest) with access to Monsanto's GA21; (3) Obtain Monsanto GA21 from those seed companies; and (4) Sell the Monsanto GA21. (D.I. 407, ex. 1 at 2) Various Syngenta AG employees including David Jones (member of Syngenta AG's Executive Committee), Adrian Dubock (head of Mergers and Acquisitions for Syngenta AG), and Marian Flattery (head of Global IP and Licensing for Participations) participated in internal meetings leading [*14] up to the Bayer AG agreement. (D.I. 407, ex. 1 at 4-5) Furthermore, Syngenta AG had ultimate approval over the acquisition and licensing of Bayer's GA21 rights, Syngenta AG signed the Agreement for Scientific Evaluation of Transgenic Material transferring certain GA21 material to Syngenta AG, and

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Participations' Marian Flattery and Adrian Dubock signed the Acquisition Agreement with Bayer AG relating to certain rights in GA21 owned by Bayer AG. (D.I. 407, ex. 1 at 5) Mr. Dubock and Ms. Flattery also executed the subsequent Amendment to the Agreement for Scientific Evaluation of Transgenic Materials with Bayer AG. (D.I. 407, ex. 1 at 5) Syngenta AG was involved in the communications surrounding the public announcement of the Agreement. (D.I. 407, ex. 1 at 6) Dr. Sorenson, head of Syngenta's n8 United States corn and soybean business, reported directly to Syngenta AG Executive Committee member Jeff Beard and his successor Michel Mack on many issues, including marketing strategy and financials of the business. (D.I. 407, ex. A1, 113-14) Dr. Sorenson spoke to Mr. Beard (and later Mr. Mack) an average of once a week or once every two weeks. (D.I. 407, ex. A1 at 115) Dr. Sorenson provided [*15] the Executive Committee with regular written reports on the United States corn seed business. (D.I. 407, ex. A1 at 138-39) Dr. Sorenson would fly to Switzerland to have in-person meetings to discuss, among other things, the strategy to enter into the glyphosate tolerant seed business. (D.I. 407, ex. A1 at 115-16) n8 Again, due to the excerpting of the deposition testimony, the record is unclear as to what entity "Syngenta" encompasses in this context.

[*16] III. STANDARD OF REVIEW When reviewing a motion to dismiss pursuant to Rule 12(b)(2), a court must accept as true all allegations of jurisdictional fact made by the plaintiff and resolve all factual disputes in the plaintiff's favor. Once a jurisdictional defense has been raised, the plaintiff bears the burden of establishing with reasonable particularity that sufficient minimum contacts have occurred between the defendant and the forum state to support jurisdiction. Provident Nat'l Bank v. California Fed. Sav. & Loan Assoc., 819 F.2d 434, 437 (3d Cir. 1987). To establish personal jurisdiction, a party must allege facts sufficient to satisfy two requirements, one statutory and one constitutional. See Reach & Assoc., P.C. v. Dencer, 269 F.Supp. 2d 497, 502 (D. Del. 2003). With regard to the statutory requirement, the court must determine whether there is a statutory basis for jurisdiction under the forum state's long arm statute. Id. As for the constitutional basis, the court must determine whether the exercise of jurisdiction comports with the defendant's right to due process. Id. In cases involving foreign parties, the Supreme [*17] Court has stated that "[g]reat care and reserve should be exercise when extending our notions of personal jurisdiction into the international field." Asahi Metal Indus. Co. v. Superior Court, 480 U.S. 102, 115, 107 S. Ct. 1026, 94 L. Ed. 2d 92 (1987) IV. DISCUSSION

Dr. Sorenson made several presentations to Syngenta AG's Executive Committee regarding the United States corn and soy business, the Garst and Golden Harvest acquisitions, possibilities of joint ventures, and five year business plans, including one for the United States corn seed business. n9 (D.I. 407, ex. A1 at 16-7) Leadership teams with responsibilities for corn seed strategy in the United States included Syngenta AG employees. (D.I. 407, ex. A1 at 17) n9 Tom Klevorn, head of NK Brands, made a presentation on GA21 to the Executive Committee. Jeffrey Stein, director of Regulatory Affairs for North America, made a presentation to the Executive Committee on the regulatory assessment of GA21. (D.I. 407 at 17)

The Delaware long arm statute permits the exercise of personal jurisdiction over a nonresident who, in person or through an agent:

(1) Transacts any business or performs any character of work or service in the State; (2) Contracts to supply service or things in this State; (3) Causes tortious injury in the State by an act or omission in this State; (4) Causes tortious injury in the State or outside of the State by an act or omission outside the State if the person regularly does or solicits business, engages in any other persistent course of conduct in the State or derives substantial revenue from services, or things used or consumed in the

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State; (5) Has an interest in, uses or possesses real property in the State; or (6) Contracts to insure or act as surety for, or on, any person, property, risk, contract, obligation or agreement located, executed or to be performed within the State at the time the contract is [*18] made, unless the parties otherwise provide in writing.

the Syngenta U.S. Companies within the State of Delaware satisfy the requirements of the Delaware long arm statute. A. Agency Monsanto asserts that the Syngenta U.S. Companies are general agents of Syngenta AG and Participations and, therefore, their acts confer personal jurisdiction in Delaware. As explained in Applied Biosystems, Inc. v. Cruachem, LTD, 772 F.Supp. 1458 (D. Del. 1991), [*20] the agency theory

10 Del. C. § 3104(c). Pursuant to subsection (c)(1)-(3) and (5)-(6), specific jurisdiction may be established if the cause of action arises from contacts with the forum. Applied Biosystems, Inc. v. Cruachem, LTD, 772 F.Supp. 1458, 1466 (D. Del. 1991). Subsection (c)(4) provides for general jurisdiction, which requires a greater extent of contacts, but which provides jurisdiction even when the claim is unrelated to the forum contacts. Id. It is apparent from the record that the individual conduct of Syngenta AG and Participations does not satisfy the jurisdictional requirements cited above. Syngenta AG and Participations are holding companies that do not conduct business in Delaware. They are not registered to do business in Delaware. They do not produce, market or sell corn seed or any product in Delaware. They do not have a bank account, a telephone number or an address in Delaware. They do not have "contacts with this state that are so extensive and continuing that it is fair and consistent with state policy to require that the defendant appear here and defend a claim. [*19] " Red Sail Easter Ltd Partners, L.P. v. Radio City Music Hall Productions, Inc., 1991 Del. Ch. LEXIS 113, *8, 1991 WL 129174, at *3 (Del. Ch. July 10, 1991). The only personal contact these parties have had with Delaware is the meeting that took place in this State in May 2002. Certainly such a limited activity is insufficient to establish general jurisdiction. Likewise, this court cannot assert specific jurisdiction over Syngenta AG and Participations based on their conduct at the 2002 meeting. Although general marketing strategies were discussed, there is no record evidence that the acts identified in Monsanto's counterclaims took place in Delaware at that meeting. The question remains whether the Syngenta U.S. Companies should be considered "agents" of Syngenta AG and Participations and, if so, whether the activities of

examines the degree of control which the parent exercises over the subsidiary. . . . The factors relevant to this determination include the extent of overlap of officers and directors, methods of financing, the division of responsibility for day-to-day management, and the process by which each corporation obtains its business. No one factor is either necessary or determinative; rather it is the specific combination of elements which is significant. . . . If any agency relationship is found to exist, courts will not ignore the separate corporate identities of parent and subsidiary, but will consider the parent corporation responsible for specific jurisdictional acts of the subsidiary.

Id. at 1463. "An agency relationship alone, however, is not sufficient to confer jurisdiction. Rather, the result of finding such an agency relationship is simply that we may attribute certain of [the Syngenta U.S. Companies'] acts to [Syngenta AG and Participations] in assessing whether the requirements of the Delaware long-arm statute have been satisfied." Id. at 1464. Monsanto relies on several aspects of the relationship between [*21] the parties to establish that the Syngenta U.S. Companies are general agents of Syngenta AG and Participations. More specifically, Monsanto asserts that there is: (1) An overlap of some officers and directors; (2) Transferring of employees; and (3) Syngenta AG's involvement in formulating and approving strategic policy (e.g., meetings with the Executive Committee

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regarding the United States strategy and budgetary issues), major capital expenditures (e.g., acquiring GA21 rights), and key decisions (e.g., the Garst and Golden Harvest acquisitions). Under Delaware case law, however, the facts asserted by Monsanto are not sufficient to establish an agency relationship. See Akzona Inc. v. E.I. Du Pont Nemours & Co., 607 F.Supp. 227 (D. Del. 1984); n10 Sears, Roebuck & Co v. Sears, 744 F.Supp. 1297 (D. Del. 1990). n11 The facts of record do not reflect a situation where the parent company is involved in manufacturing or production activities and the subsidiary is acting as the parent's distributor or sales agent. See C.R. Bard Inc. v. Guidant Corp, 997 F.Supp. 556, 561 (D. Del. 1998). The Syngenta U.S. Companies make their own decisions [*22] about day-to-day activities, and design, manufacture, market and distribute the GA21 corn. See Akzona Inc., 607 F.Supp. at 238. n12 No agency relationship has been demonstrated. N10 The Akzona court found no agency relationship between a parent and its wholly owned subsidiary, where there was some overlap between the board of directors, references to subsidiaries as divisions of the parent in the annual report, requirement that parent approve capital expenditures by subsidiaries exceeding $ 850,000, references in board meetings and reports to the development of products as the parent company's "decision" or "project," parent company taking credit for the product project in its annual report, parent company's negotiation with an agency of the Dutch government to set up a joint venture, parent company's guarantee of 50% of the Dutch government loans to the subsidiaries, and parent company's participation in the decision to bring a declaratory judgment. n11 The Sears court found no agency relationship when there was no evidence that the subsidiary could enter into negotiations or binding agreements for the parent or act for the parent in any other way in Delaware. [*23]

n12 The meeting in Delaware is the only event that could arguably reflect an agency relationship if, at that meeting, the details of the alleged misappropriation plan were explored. As noted above, the record is devoid of any evidence that suggests the participants at the Delaware meeting discussed a misappropriation plan or any actions that are alleged to constitute the misappropriation.

B. Delaware Long Arm Statute Even if an agency relationship were shown, Monsanto has not carried its burden to demonstrate that the activities directed or controlled by Syngenta AG and Participations are the jurisdictional acts of Syngenta AG and Participations. n13 See C.R. Bard Inc, 997 F.Supp. at 560 ("The agency theory requires not only that the precise conduct shown to be instigated by the parent be attributable to the parent, but also that such conduct satisfy § 3104(c)(1)."). "When applying the agency theory, a court should focus its inquiry on the arrangement between the parent and the subsidiary, the authority given in that arrangement, and the relevance of that arrangement [*24] to the . . . claim." Id. at 560. The counterclaims at issue are: (1) Reverse passing off under the Lanham Act; (2) Violations of the Delaware Deceptive Trade Practices Act; (3) False advertising under the Lanham Act; and (4) Tortious interference with a contract. n13 For this reason, the court need not reach the constitutional analysis.

1. Specific Jurisdiction § 3104(c)(1), (2), (3) Jurisdiction under § 3104(c)(1) or (2) can be obtained if, through the Syngenta U.S. Companies, Syngenta AG and Participations have conducted any business or contracted to supply services or things in Delaware. Section 3104(c)(3) provides for jurisdiction when a nonresident or its agent has caused tortious injury in Delaware by an act or omission that occurred in this State. Applied Biosystems, 772 F.Supp. at 1467.

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It is established that the incorporation of the Syngenta U.S. Companies in Delaware would provide specific jurisdiction over any tort causes of action related to the act of incorporation. [*25] See Applied Biosystems at 1467. However, "the mere fact that a non-Delaware corporation owns a Delaware subsidiary is not sufficient in itself to justify Delaware's exercise of personal jurisdiction over the non-Delaware parent." Ace & Co. v. Balfour Beatty PLC, 148 F.Supp.2d 418, 422-23 (D. Del. 2001). None of the counterclaims rise from the act of incorporation. The reverse passing off claim and deceptive trade practices claim are based on the sale and marketing of GA21 corn seed without acknowledging Monsanto as the source of the GA21 event. There is no evidence that Syngenta AG and Participations direct or control sales or marketing in Delaware. To the contrary, the evidence that the Syngenta U.S. Companies report to and update the Executive Committee regarding these decisions tends to substantiate the opposite conclusion. The 2002 meeting is equally unavailing to establish jurisdiction. The 2002 meeting in Delaware is not related to and does not give rise to any of the counterclaims. In fact, the meeting took place several years prior to the relevant time period of the counterclaims. Finally, the tortious interference claim is based on a contract between [*26] Syngenta Seeds, Inc. and Advanta USA, Inc. and has no relationship to Delaware, as it was neither negotiated nor signed in Delaware. Monsanto also asserts a stream of commerce theory, citing A.V. Imports, Inc. v. Col De Fratta, 171 F.Supp.2d 369 (D.N.J. 2001). n14 However, as the court in A.V. Imports clearly states, "the mere placement of a product into the stream of commerce with an awareness that it may end up in a specific state is not enough to establish minimum contacts." Id. at 372 (citing Asahi Metal Industry Co., 480 U.S. at 107). Monsanto has produced no evidence that Syngenta AG or Participations, or any of the Syngenta U.S. Companies, "purposefully availed" themselves of the forum state. n14 The court is not confident this precedent is applicable to the case at bar, but need not decide this issue as there is no showing that Delaware was in any way targeted, as is required under this theory.

Press releases and similar communications do not give [*27] rise to personal jurisdiction unless they are "expressly aimed" at the relevant forum. See IMO Indus. v. Kiekert AG, 155 F.3d 254, 265 (3d Cir. 1998). Syngenta International AG issued a press release on May 12, 2004 from its Swiss headquarters, but it was not "specifically directed toward Delaware residents" nor was it "part of a 'sustained promotional campaign'" in Delaware. Applied Biosystems, 772 F.Supp. at 1467; Virgin Wireless, Inc. v. Virgin Enters., 201 F.Supp.2d 294, 299 (finding a single press release attributed to English company cannot justify personal jurisdiction in Delaware). Finally, Monsanto asserts that the filing of the antitrust litigation in Delaware serves as a basis for personal jurisdiction. The court finds this argument unpersuasive. The holding in Mobil Oil Corp. v. Advanced Envtl. Recycling Techs., 833 F.Supp. 437 (D. Del. 1993), establishes that the filing of a lawsuit may be relevant to establishing jurisdiction when the claim at issue is sham litigation. Again, the filing of the lawsuit bears no relevance to the counterclaims at issue and, therefore, cannot serve as a basis for personal jurisdiction. 2. General [*28] Jurisdiction § 3104(c)(4) Section 3104(c)(4) provides for general jurisdiction in tort cases. Jurisdiction is authorized if Syngenta AG or Participations, through its agents, "regularly does or solicits business, engages in any other persistent course of conduct in the State or derives substantial revenue from services, or things used or consumed in the State." That the subsidiaries are incorporated in Delaware is not imputed to Syngenta AG and Participations. See Applied Biosystems, 772 F.Supp. 1458, 1469. The act of incorporating a subsidiary in Delaware is not enough to confer general jurisdiction in this instance because it does not appear that Syngenta AG and Participations have engaged in a pattern of corporate dealings under Delaware law. See Sears, 744 F.Supp. at 1306 (finding that the defendant only owned one Delaware subsidiary and had not engaged in a pattern of corporate dealings in Delaware). In Altech Indus., Inc. v. Al Tech Speciality Steel Corp., 542 F.Supp. 53 (D. Del. 1982), the court held it could exercise jurisdiction over a non-Delaware corporation under § 3104(c)(4) where: (1) The defendant owned eighty-two [*29] subsidiaries and a "vast majority" of these were incorporated in Delaware; and (2)

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2006 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 54534, *29

The defendant had "utilized the benefits of the Delaware corporation law in various ways," including conducting mergers and acquisitions with, and amending the articles of incorporation of, its many subsidiaries. Id. at 55. The court does not find that Syngenta AG and Participations have availed themselves of the general jurisdiction of Delaware. C. Fed. R. Civ. P. 4(k)(2) When a foreign defendant does not have sufficient minimum contacts with any single forum to comport with due process, Rule 4(k)(2) allows an alternate jurisdictional basis to pursue a claim arising under federal law, where defendant has sufficient nationwide contacts. If the exercise of jurisdiction is consistent with the Constitution and laws of the United States, serving a summons or filing a waiver of service of process is also effective, with respect to claims arising under federal law, to establish personal jurisdiction over the person of any defendant who is not subject to the jurisdiction of the courts of general jurisdiction of any state.

Fed. R. Civ. P. (4)(k)(2) [*30] . The court must first determine that: (1) The case arises under federal law, and is not pending before the court pursuant to the court's diversity jurisdiction; and (2) The foreign defendant lacks sufficient contacts with any single state to subject it to personal jurisdiction there. United States v. Int'l Brotherhood of Teamsters, 945 F.Supp. 609, 617 (D. Del. 1997). The court can then ascertain whether plaintiff has demonstrated that defendant has sufficient aggregate contacts with the United States to comport with constitutional notions of due process. Id. The court's analysis stops at the first step. The court finds that Monsanto has not satisfied its burden of proving the lack of state-specific contacts. See CFMT, Inc. v. Steag Microtech, Inc., 965 F. Supp. 561, 1997 WL 313161 (D. Del. 1997). Rule 4(k)(2) "provides a narrow exception which may subject an alien defendant to a federal court's personal jurisdiction." Id. at *7. "To satisfy this requirement, plaintiffs are required to make an affirmative representation that the defendant is not

subject to the general jurisdiction of any state court." Id.; Telcordia Techs. v. Alcatel S.A., 2005 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10194, *17, 2005 WL 1268061, [*31] at *5 (D. Del. May 27, 2005)("The court agrees with the Third Circuit district courts that have addressed the negation requirement and concludes that [the plaintiff] bears the burden of demonstrating that [the defendant] is not subject to jurisdiction in any state."). While Monsanto asserts that it can argue Rule 4(k)(2) in the alternative of arguing that Delaware has personal jurisdiction, the court finds that Monsanto has not affirmatively represented that Syngenta AG and Participations are not subject to the jurisdiction of any state. Instead, Monsanto has tried only to shift the burden to Syngenta AG and Participations by arguing that, if the court finds no jurisdiction lies in Delaware, then no jurisdiction lies in any other state and Rule 4(k)(2) applies. See In re Lupron Marketing & Sales Practices Litig., 245 F.Supp.2d 280, 302-03 (D. Mass. 2003). The only basis asserted by Monsanto that no jurisdiction lies in any other state is that Monsanto is unable to find any basis for jurisdiction through review of the discovery record and publicly available sources. Unfortunately, Monsanto does not elaborate on these bald assertions. Furthermore, since the filing [*32] of its original brief, Monsanto has submitted two motions to supplement the record with extensive deposition testimony. Yet, no evidence was presented in furtherance if its argument that Syngenta AG and Participations are not subject to jurisdiction in any state. Rather, Monsanto has extensively asserted that jurisdiction is proper in Delaware. Monsanto has also produced some tangential evidence that meetings have taken place in the United States other than Delaware, offices exist in states other than Delaware, and the GA21 corn is sold in the United States other than Delaware. The court is unwilling to merely take Monsanto's assertion that if jurisdiction does not lie in Delaware, jurisdiction does not lie anywhere else in the country. Monsanto has not fulfilled its burden in showing this element of Rule 4(k)(2); as a result, the court need not perform further analysis. V. CONCLUSION For the reasons discussed above, Syngenta AG and Syngenta Participations AG's motion to dismiss for lack of personal jurisdiction is granted. An order consistent with this memorandum opinion shall issue.

Case 1:06-cv-00132-JJF

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Filed 09/20/2006

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Case 1:06-cv-00132-JJF

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LEXSEE 2005 U.S. DIST. LEXIS 10194 TELCORDIA TECHNOLOGIES, INC., Plaintiff, v. ALCATEL S.A. and ALCATEL USA, INC., Defendants. Civil Action No. 04-874 GMS UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF DELAWARE 2005 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10194 May 27, 2005, Decided COUNSEL: [*1] For Telcordia Technologies Inc., Plaintiff: Steven J. Balick, John G. Day, Ashby & Geddes, Wilmington, DE. For Alcatel S.A., Defendant: Josy W. Ingersoll, Young, Conaway, Stargatt & Taylor, Wilmington, DE. For Alcatel USA Inc., Defendant: Josy W. Ingersoll, Young, Conaway, Stargatt & Taylor, Wilmington, DE; Kevin M. Baird, Connoly Bove Lodge & Hutz, Wilmington, DE. For Alcatel USA Inc., Counter Claimant: Josy W. Ingersoll, Young, Conaway, Stargatt & Taylor, Wilmington, DE; Kevin M. Baird, Connoly Bove Lodge & Hutz, Wilmington, DE. For Telcordia Technologies Inc., Counter Defendant: Steven J. Balick, Ashby & Geddes, Wilmington, DE. JUDGES: Gregory M. Sleet, DISTRICT JUDGE. UNITED STATES cipal place of business in Paris, France. Alcatel S.A. is the parent company of Alcatel USA, a Delaware corporation with its principal place of business in Plano, Texas. (D.I. 18 Ex. 2 PP 2--3.). It is a holding company that does not manufacture, sell, advertise, offer to sell, trade or import any goods or services in the United States or anywhere in the world. (Id. PP 3--5.) It does not maintain any offices or other facilities in Delaware, or the United States. (Id. P 7.) It neither owns nor leases any real property in Delaware or the United States, but it does own United States patents. (Id. P 8.) Alcatel S.A. does not maintain any ba