Midwest Builder Protects its Product Line with Professional Electronic Discovery and Computer Forensics

Minnesota Company uses PIC to Manage Information at Issue as they Assert Their Claim to Proprietary Processes

An upper midwest company, we’ll call them Constructs, Inc., has been providing products and services to the construction industry for decades.  Along the way, they’ve developed unique products and methods that became crucial to their success. 

As we all know, success creates interest, and copycats.  A competitor, we’ll call them Buildit, started using some of the processes and developed similar products to those that were already in place at Constructs.  Constructs began a legal proceeding to stop Buildit from using what they had protected.

Progressive Imaging & Consulting was called in to assist Constructs with the terrabytes of data that existed in their company.  Once a case was filed, and ESI discovery began, we helped them assemble the ESI from emails and attachments, all the different forms of electronic files, and even the paper documents that they were using to formulate their case.

Once the data was accounted for, we culled down the dataset using client-defined parameters.  The data was DEDUPED (an approved method of removing duplicate information), and DENISTED (removal of all files, system files are one example, that are understood as not responsive to nearly all legal proceedings).  Using these methods, about 80% of the information was determined non-responsive. 

To this point in the process, neither the end client nor their attorneys had seen or touched any of the information, all the work was done by PIC.  After several weeks of preparation, over 300 gigabytes of relevant information was made available to the legal team and Constructs management for their review.

Simultaneously, these processes were being performed by a team for Buildit. Large amounts of data were transferred from Constructs to Buildit, and visa versa. PIC assembled the newly arrived Buildit data and made it available to the team at Constructs. 

Additions, deletions, as well as changes in confidentiality status resulted in a steady stream of information between the parties, as they sorted out the issues and prepared the dataset. 

To date, documents have been called out as exhibits and used in depositions, and the circle of truly relevant information is growing smaller. The transition to trial will be smooth, as PIC has been providing pre-trial and in-trial litigation support for over 16 years.  We use the most effective methods, software and hardware for an impressive presentation to either the bench or a jury.