Voltage Pictures, LLC v. Does 1-18
Filing
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ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE AND QUASHING SUBPOENAS by Judge Robert S. Lasnik. (CL)
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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
WESTERN DISTRICT OF WASHINGTON
AT SEATTLE
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VOLTAGE PICTURES, LLC,
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Plaintiff,
Case No. C13-0455MJP-RSL
v.
ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE AND
QUASHING SUBPOENAS
DOES 1 - 18,
Defendants.
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This action was filed on March 13, 2013. It is one of forty-eight copyright
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infringement actions filed during a four month period by attorney Richard J. Symmes
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against approximately 2,323 individual Doe defendants. The eighteen defendants in this
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case are represented by IP addresses linked to on-line sharing of the movie “Maximum
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Conviction” between 3:10 am on December 8, 2012, and 6:38 pm on February 22, 2013.
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Although the evidence of internet activity shows that hours, if not days, separated each
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defendant’s allegedly infringing conduct, plaintiff alleges that all eighteen defendants
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participated in a single “swarm” utilizing interactive peer-to-peer file transfer technology
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protocol called a BitTorrent to illegally copy and share “Maximum Conviction.” Plaintiff
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affirmatively alleges that the “swarm” aspect of the file-sharing justifies joinder of these
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disparate defendants in a single lawsuit.
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ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE AND
QUASHING SUBPOENAS - 1
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On March 26, 2013, the Court granted plaintiff’s motion to initiate early
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discovery, including the issuance of subpoenas under Fed. R. Civ. P. 45 to internet
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service providers, in an attempt to identify each Doe defendant. No defendants have filed
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objections to the subpoenas. Despite the fact that more than six weeks have elapsed since
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discovery was authorized, there is no indication that any defendants have been served, nor
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has plaintiff amended its complaint to identify the Doe defendants.
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All BitTorrent cases filed in the Western District of Washington have been
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referred to the undersigned for pretrial handling. As the full extent of this assignment has
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become clear, the Court admits to some concerns regarding both the appropriateness of
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joinder and the possibility that the judicial authority of the United States may be used to
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wrest improvident settlements from pro se litigants under threat of huge statutory
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penalties. The Court is not alone: other judicial officers in the Ninth Circuit are beset by
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the same concerns and have taken various paths to mitigate the potential for abuse. See,
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e.g., Ingenuity 13 LLC v. John Doe, No. 2:12-cv-9333-ODW(JCx) (C.D. Cal. May 6,
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2013); Voltage Pictures, LLC v. Does 1-12, No. 2:13-292-AA (D. Or. May 4, 2013).
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Having reviewed the record in this and related cases as well as the relevant
case law, it is hereby ORDERED as follows:
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1. Any and all subpoenas issued in the above-captioned matter are hereby
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QUASHED. Plaintiff shall immediately notify the subpoena recipients that they need not
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respond.
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2. To the extent plaintiff has obtained identifying information regarding one or
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more Doe defendants, whether through the service provider, defendant, or another source,
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it shall not utilize that information in any way. If plaintiff has already contacted one or
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more of the defendants, it shall file under seal all correspondence or other written
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communications (including emails) sent to defendants and a summary of any oral
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ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE AND
QUASHING SUBPOENAS - 2
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communications. Plaintiff shall refrain from any further oral or written communications
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with defendants unless expressly approved by the Court in advance.
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3. Plaintiff shall, within fourteen days of the date of this Order, show cause why
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the above-captioned matter should not be dismissed as to all defendants other than Doe 1
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for improper joinder and/or pursuant to the Court’s inherent authority to control its
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docket.
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4. Plaintiff shall, within fourteen days of the date of this Order, provide additional
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information regarding Voltage Pictures, LLC’s ownership of the copyright at issue,
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including a copy of any and all transfer statements and/or work-for-hire agreements
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supporting a determination that Voltage Pictures, LLC has standing to pursue this action.
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See Righthaven LLC v. Hoehn, No. 11-16751, 2013 WL 1908876 (9th Cir. May 9, 2013).
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5. With the exception of the actions specifically set forth in this Order, the abovecaptioned matter is hereby STAYED.
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The Clerk of Court is directed to place this Order to Show Cause on the
Court’s calendar for Friday, May 24, 2013.
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Dated this 10th day of May, 2013.
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A
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Robert S. Lasnik
United States District Judge
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ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE AND
QUASHING SUBPOENAS - 3
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