Robert Bosch LLC v. The Individuals, Corporations, Limited Liability Companies, Partnerships, and Unincorporated Associations Identified on Schedule A Hereto

MINUTE entry before the Honorable John Robert Blakey: Plaintiff has renewed its motion for electronic service of process, see 24. Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 4(f)(3) "allows courts to permit alternative means of service if the party seeking to use an alternative means obtains permission of the court and those 'other means are not prohibited by international agreement.' " NBA Props., Inc. v. P'ships & Unincorporated Ass'ns Identified in Schedule A, 549 F. Supp. 3d 790, 796 (N.D. Ill. 2021) (quoting Fed. R. Civ. P. 4 (f)(3)). Here, Plaintiff indicates that the named defendant, Focus-Autoparts, provided incomplete or inaccurate information concerning any physical address in China, 24 at 1-3; because Defendant's address remains unknown after due diligence, the Hague Service Convention does not apply, see NBA Props., Inc., 549 F. Supp. 3d at 796 (describing the Hague Service Convention and its relationship with Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 4(f)). But even if it did apply, the Convention does not prohibit service by email. Id. Courts in this district routinely permit email service in similar circumstances, see, e.g., Chen v. Partnerships & Unincorporated Associations Identified on Schedule A, No. 24 C 7164, 2025 WL 47972, at *6 (N.D. Ill. Jan. 8, 2025) (collecting cases), and the Court finds such service appropriate here. As a result, the Court grants Plaintiff's motion 24 and strikes the 5/13/26 Notice of Motion date. Plaintiff may provide notice of the proceedings in this case to the Defendant, including notice of any preliminary injunction hearing, service of process pursuant to Fed. R. Civ. P. 4(f)(3), and any future motions, by electronically publishing a link to the Complaint, this Order, and other relevant documents on a website and by sending an e-mail with a link to said website to the e-mail addresses for the Defendant Internet Store identified in Exhibit 2 to the Declaration of Jay Paragoso and any e-mail addresses provided for Defendant by third parties. The Clerk shall issue an original summons in the name of "Focus-Autoparts." The combination of providing notice via electronic publication and e-mail, along with any notice that Defendant receives from payment processors, shall constitute notice reasonably calculated under all circumstances to apprise Defendant of the pendency of the action and afford it the opportunity to present its objections. Mailed notice.