RCW 19.330.080 Third parties.

(1) A court may not award damages against any third party pursuant to RCW 19.330.060(2) where that party, after having been afforded reasonable notice of at least ninety days by proper service upon such a party's agent for service of process and opportunity to plead any of the affirmative defenses set forth in this subsection, establishes by a preponderance of the evidence any of the following:

(a) Such a person is the end consumer or end user of an article or product subject to RCW 19.330.020, or acquired the article or product after its sale to an end consumer or end user;

(b) Such a person is a business with annual revenues not in excess of fifty million dollars;

(c) The person acquired the articles or products:

(i) And had either: A code of conduct or other written document governing the person's commercial relationships with the manufacturer adjudicated to have violated RCW 19.330.020 and which includes commitments, such as general commitments to comply with applicable laws, that prohibit use of the stolen or misappropriated information technology by such manufacturer; or written assurances from the manufacturer of the articles or products that the articles or products, to the manufacturer's reasonable knowledge, were manufactured without the use of stolen or misappropriated information technology in the manufacturer's business operations. However, with respect to this subsection (c)(i), within one hundred eighty days of receiving written notice of the judgment against the manufacturer for a violation of RCW 19.330.020 and a copy of a written notice that satisfies the requirements of RCW 19.330.050, the person must undertake commercially reasonable efforts to do any of the following:

(A) Exchange written correspondence confirming that such a manufacturer is not using the stolen or misappropriated information technology in violation of RCW 19.330.020, which may be satisfied, without limitation, by obtaining written assurances from the manufacturer accompanied by copies of invoices, purchase orders, licenses, or other verification of lawful use of the information technology at issue;

(B) Direct the manufacturer to cease the theft or misappropriation, which may be satisfied, without limitation, by the third party issuing a written directive to the manufacturer demanding that it cease such theft or misappropriation and demanding that the manufacturer provide the third party with copies of invoices, purchase orders, licenses, or other verification of lawful use of the information technology at issue; and for purposes of clarification, the third party need take no additional action to fully avail itself of this affirmative defense; or

(C) In a case in which the manufacturer has failed to cease such a theft or misappropriation within the one hundred eighty-day period, and the third party has not fulfilled either option (c)(i)(A) of this subsection or option (c)(i)(B) of this subsection, cease the future acquisition of the articles or products from the manufacturer during the period that the manufacturer continues to engage in the theft or misappropriation subject to RCW 19.330.020 where doing so would not constitute a breach of an agreement between the person and the manufacturer for the manufacture of the articles or products in question that was entered into on or before one hundred eighty days after July 22, 2011; or

(ii) Pursuant to an agreement between the person and a manufacturer for the manufacture of the articles or products in question that was entered into before one hundred eighty days after July 22, 2011. However, within one hundred eighty days of receiving written notice of the judgment against the manufacturer for a violation of RCW 19.330.020 and a copy of a written notice that satisfies the requirements of RCW 19.330.050, the person must undertake commercially reasonable efforts to do any of the following:

(A) Obtain from the manufacturer written assurances that such a manufacturer is not using the stolen or misappropriated information technology in violation of RCW 19.330.020, which may be satisfied, without limitation, by obtaining written assurances from the manufacturer accompanied by copies of invoices, purchase orders, licenses, or other verification of lawful use of the information technology at issue;

(B) Direct the manufacturer to cease the theft or misappropriation, which may be satisfied, without limitation, by the third party issuing a written directive to the manufacturer demanding that it cease such theft or misappropriation and demanding that the manufacturer provide the third party with copies of invoices, purchase orders, licenses, or other verification of lawful use of the information technology at issue; and for purposes of clarification, the third party need take no additional action to fully avail itself of this affirmative defense; or

(C) In a case in which the manufacturer has failed to cease the theft or misappropriation within the one hundred eighty-day period, and the third party has not fulfilled either option (c)(ii)(A) of this subsection or option (c)(ii)(B) of this subsection, cease the future acquisition of the articles or products from the manufacturer during the period that the manufacturer continues to engage in the theft or misappropriation subject to RCW 19.330.020 where doing so would not constitute a breach of such agreement;

(d) The person has made commercially reasonable efforts to implement practices and procedures to require its direct manufacturers, in manufacturing articles or products for such person, not to use stolen or misappropriated information technology in violation of RCW 19.330.020. A person may satisfy this subsection (1)(d) by:

(i) Adopting and undertaking commercially reasonable efforts to implement a code of conduct or similar written requirements, which are applicable to the person's direct manufacturers, that prohibit the use of stolen or misappropriated information technology by such a manufacturer, subject to a right of audit, and the person either: (A) Has a practice of auditing its direct manufacturers on a periodic basis in accordance with generally accepted industry standards; or (B) requires in its agreements with its direct manufacturers that they submit to audits by a third party, which may include a third-party association of businesses representing the owner of the stolen or misappropriated intellectual property, and further provides that a failure to remedy any deficiencies found in such an audit that constitute a violation of the applicable law of the jurisdiction where the deficiency occurred constitutes a breach of the contract, subject to cure within a reasonable period of time; or

(ii) Adopting and undertaking commercially reasonable efforts to implement a code of conduct or similar written requirements, which are applicable to the person's direct manufacturers, that prohibit use of stolen or misappropriated information technology by such a manufacturer, and the person undertakes practices and procedures to address compliance with the prohibition against the use of the stolen or misappropriated information technology in accordance with the applicable code of conduct or written requirements; or

(e) The person does not have a contractual relationship with the person alleged to have violated RCW 19.330.020 respecting the manufacture of the articles or products alleged to have been manufactured in violation of RCW 19.330.020.

(2) A third party must have the opportunity to be heard regarding whether an article or product is an essential component provided or to be provided to a third party, and must have the right to file a motion to dismiss any action brought against it under RCW 19.330.060(2).

(3) The court may not enforce any award for damages against such a third party until after the court has ruled on that party's claim of eligibility for any of the affirmative defenses set out in this section, and prior to such a ruling may allow discovery, in an action under RCW 19.330.060(2), only on the particular defenses raised by the third party.

(4) The court shall allow discovery against a third party on an issue only after all discovery on that issue between the parties has been completed and only if the evidence produced as a result of the discovery does not resolve an issue of material dispute between the parties.

(5) Any confidential or otherwise sensitive information submitted by a party pursuant to this section is subject to a protective order.

[ 2011 c 98 § 8.]