Copyright Plaintiffs Can Subpoena ISP to Provide the Identity of Infringers
The Eastern District of Missouri permitted the subpoena of an internet service provider (ISP) in UMG Recordings, Inc. v. Does 1 - 24, 2007 WL 4205768 (E.D. Mo. 11/26/07).
UMG and other record companies brought this copyright infringement lawsuit against unknown infringers. Plaintiffs had the Internet Protocol (IP) addresses of the defendants. Charter Communications is the defendants' ISP, which maintains subscriber contact information in activity logs. These logs are kept for a short time and then permanently destroyed. The plaintiffs sought permission to subpoena Charter to match the IP addresses with the defendants' individual names.
The court granted the request, largely because the information is not available elsewhere, and the case cannot proceed without identifying the defendants.
