Acorn Bay v. CamelBak Products, LLC

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

ACORN BAY, Plaintiff, No. C 20-05214 WHA

v.

CAMELBAK PRODUCTS, LLC, ORDER RE MOTION TO DISMISS Defendant.

15 INTRODUCTION This patent and trade secret dispute centers on water bottle bite valves. The accused moves to dismiss the complaint in part. California’s Uniform Trade Secrets Act supersedes the contract and unfair competition claims at issue. The motion is GRANTED IN PART. STATEMENT In 2011, plaintiff and patent owner Acorn Bay LLC developed a better bite valve for re- usable water bottles. Early in 2012, Acorn approached defendant CamelBak Products, LLC, a premier maker of outdoor water bottles and hydration packs, to discuss a licensing deal. The two entered a nondisclosure agreement to limit CamelBak’s use of Acorn’s proprietary information to their licensing talks. Apparently impressed, CamelBak entered an option agreement in April 2012, giving it a period…