Tam
Tam v. Qualcomm, Inc.
Opinion
Lead Opinion
Honsammartino, J.
Presently before the Court is Defendant Qualcomm Inc.'s Motion to Dismiss Plaintiff's Complaint, ("MTD," ECF No. 5-1). Also before the Court are Plaintiff Kam T. Tam's Response in Opposition to, ("Opp'n," ECF No. 6), and Defendant's Reply in Support of, ("Reply," ECF No. 7), Defendant's MTD. The Court vacated the hearing on the motion and took the matter under submission pursuant to Civil Local Rule 7.1(d)(1). (ECF No. 8.) After considering the parties' arguments and the law, the Court GRANTS Defendant's MTD.
BACKGROUND
This case arises from a dispute between Plaintiff Kam Tam and his employer Qualcomm. Tam worked as a patent attorney for Qualcomm starting in 2004 and was promoted to Senior Patent Counsel in 2008. ("Compl." ¶ 5, ECF No. 1-2.) As a Senior Counsel, Tam was responsible for prosecuting Qualcomm's patents at the U.S. Patent Office. ( Id. ) Plaintiff states that he received positive ratings in his *1136 feedback from his supervisors and his legal knowledge was well-recognized in his department. ( Id. ) Plaintiff states that licensing patents was a significant area of business for Qualcomm, constituting approximately three quarters of Qualcomm's profits. ( Id. )