Venice PI, LLC v. Doe 1 et al
Filing
8
OPINION AND ORDER GRANTING 4 MOTION for Discovery Prior to Rule 26(f) Conference filed by Venice PI, LLC. Signed by Magistrate Judge John E Martin on 7/26/17. (ksp)
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
NORTHERN DISTRICT OF INDIANA
HAMMOND DIVISION
VENICE PI, LLC,
Plaintiff,
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
v.
DOE 1, et al.,
Defendants.
CAUSE NO. 2:17-CV-285-JVB-JEM
OPINION AND ORDER
This matter is before the Court on a Motion for Leave to Take Discovery Prior to Rule 26(f)
Conference [DE 4], filed by Plaintiff on July 3, 2017. Plaintiff requests leave to issue subpoenas to
non-party internet service providers to determine the identity of the Doe Defendants in this case.
I.
Background
Plaintiff filed its Complaint on July 3, 2017, alleging copyright infringement claims against
eighteen Doe Defendants. Plaintiff alleges that the Doe Defendants violated Plaintiff’s copyright by
downloading and sharing unauthorized copies of Once Upon a Time in Venice, a movie in which
Plaintiff maintains a copyright interest. At this time, the only information Plaintiff has about the Doe
Defendants is their Internet Protocol (IP) addresses, as well as the cities in which the alleged
infringement occurred. Accordingly, Plaintiff now seeks to subpoena records from the Internet
Service Provider identified in Exhibit 2 of the Complaint (the ISP) to connect the IP addresses with
the Doe Defendants’ actual identities.
II.
Standard
The Federal Rules of Civil Procedure generally prohibit discovery from occurring before the
parties conduct a Rule 26(f) conference, unless the Court enters an order allowing early discovery
1
for “good cause.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 26(d)(1); Progressive Cas. Ins. Co. v. FDIC, 283 F.R.D. 556, 557
(N.D. Iowa 2012). Courts consider the following five factors to determine whether there is good
cause for early discovery aimed at internet service providers to uncover internet users’ identities:
(1) [A] concrete showing of a prima facie claim; (2) a specific
discovery request; (3) the absence of alternative means to obtain the
subpoenaed information; (4) the need for the subpoenaed information
to advance the claim; and (5) a minimal expectation of privacy by the
defendant in the requested information.
Rotten Records, Inc. v. Doe, 108 F. Supp. 3d 132, 133 (W.D.N.Y. 2015); see also First Time Videos,
LLC v. Does 1-500, 276 F.R.D. 241, 248-49 (N.D. Ill. 2011) (quoting Sony Music Entm’t v. Does
1-40, 326 F. Supp. 2d 556, 564-65 (S.D.N.Y. 2004)).
III.
Analysis
Plaintiff meets these requirements. First, Plaintiff has made a prima facie claim of copyright
infringement, which consists of two elements: (1) ownership of a valid copyright and (2) copying
of constituent elements of the work that are original. Feist Publ’ns, Inc. v. Rural Tel. Serv. Co., Inc.,
499 U.S. 340, 361 (1991). Plaintiff alleges that it maintains a copyright interest in Once Upon a
Time in Venice and that the Doe Defendants copied and distributed Once Upon a Time in Venice.
Second, Plaintiff has identified specific discovery, limited to identifying the Doe Defendants through
their internet service providers. Third, Plaintiff does not have an alternative means to match the IP
addresses with the Doe Defendants’ identities.
Fourth, Plaintiff needs the information it seeks to advance its asserted claims. Indeed,
without discovering the Doe Defendants’ identities, Plaintiff cannot pursue its claims for relief at
all. Finally, Plaintiff’s interest in learning the Doe Defendants’ true identities outweighs the Doe
Defendants’ privacy interest in sharing copyrighted work through an online file-sharing network.
2
See Rotten Records, 108 F. Supp. 3d at 133 (quoting Arista Records, LLC v. Doe, 604 F.3d 110, 124
(2d Cir. 2010)).
In sum, Plaintiff has shown good cause for the requested discovery, and early discovery is
appropriate. Fed. R. Civ. P. 26(d)(1); Progressive, 283 F.R.D. at 557.
IV.
Conclusion
For the foregoing reasons, the Court hereby GRANTS the Motion for Leave to Take
Discovery Prior to Rule 26(f) Conference [DE 4] and ORDERS:
1.
Plaintiff may serve the ISP with a Rule 45 subpoena commanding it to provide
Plaintiff with the true name, permanent address, current address, telephone number, email address,
and Media Access Control address of each Defendant to whom the ISP assigned an Internet Protocol
(IP) address as set forth in Exhibit B to the Complaint. Plaintiff shall attach to any such subpoena
a copy of this Order.
2.
Plaintiff may also serve a Rule 45 subpoena in the same manner as above on any
service provider that is identified in response to a subpoena as a provider of internet services to one
of Defendants.
3.
If the ISP qualifies as a “cable operator,” as defined by 47 U.S.C. § 522(5), which
provides:
the term “cable operator” means any person or group of persons (A)
who provides cable service over a cable system and directly or
through one or more affiliates owns a significant interest in such
cable system, or (B) who otherwise controls or is responsible for,
through any arrangement, the management and operation of such a
cable system;
then the ISP shall, by sending a copy of this Order to the affected Defendant, comply with 47 U.S.C.
§ 551(c)(2), which provides that “[a] cable operator may disclose such [personal identifying]
3
information if the disclosure is . . . made pursuant to a court order authorizing such disclosure, if the
subscriber is notified of such order by the person to whom the order is directed.” 47 U.S.C. §
551(c)(2)(B).
4.
The subpoenaed ISP shall not require Plaintiff to pay a fee in advance of providing
the subpoenaed information, nor shall the subpoenaed ISP require Plaintiff to pay a fee for an IP
address that is not controlled by the ISP, or for an IP address that does not provide the name of a
unique individual, or for the ISP’s internal costs to notify its customers. If necessary, the Court shall
resolve any disputes between the ISP and Plaintiff regarding the reasonableness of the amount
proposed to be charged by the ISP after the subpoenaed information is provided to Plaintiff.
5.
Plaintiff may only use the information disclosed in response to a Rule 45 subpoena
served on the ISP for the purpose of protecting and enforcing Plaintiff’s rights as set forth in its
Complaint.
SO ORDERED this 26th day of July, 2017.
s/ John E. Martin
___________
MAGISTRATE JUDGE JOHN E. MARTIN
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
cc:
All counsel of record
4
Disclaimer: Justia Dockets & Filings provides public litigation records from the federal appellate and district courts. These filings and docket sheets should not be considered findings of fact or liability, nor do they necessarily reflect the view of Justia.
Why Is My Information Online?