LegalForce RAPC Worldwide, P.C v. LegalForce, Inc.
Opinion
Trial Court Opinion
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA
LEGALFORCE RAPC WORLDWIDE,
P.C, Case No. 22-cv-03724-RS
Plaintiff,
ORDER RE SERVICE OF PROCESS
v.
LEGALFORCE, INC., Defendant.
15 Plaintiff has filed a motion under Rule 4(f)(3) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure for authorization to serve defendant in Japan by email and postal mail. (Dkt. No. 14). That Rule permits courts to approve of alternative service methods, as long as they are not “prohibited by international agreement.” As of December of 2018, Japan, formally objected to service by postal mail under Hague Service Convention Article 10(a). Syscom (USA), Inc. v. Nakajima USA, Inc., , 2020 WL 5357784, at *6, n. 3 (C.D. Cal. Jan. 29, 2020). Courts in this district have split regarding whether a country’s objection to Article 10 means that service by email is “prohibited by international agreement.” See WeWork Companies Inc. v. WePlus (Shanghai) Tech. Co., 2019 WL 8810350, at *2 (N.D. Cal. Jan. 10, 2019)…