In a move that has repercussions for the entire movie industry, a federal judge in the US has issue a subpoena against Google, demanding the Internet giant reveal who leaked the trailer for the forthcoming Avengers: Age of Ultron movie.
The document, awarded to Marvel, states:
"Your are commanded to produce at the time, date, and place set forth below the following documents, electronically stored information, or objects, and to permit inspection, copying, testing, or sampling of the material."
Google must also provide all identifying information for the user ‘John Gazelle’ to the San Francisco court before November 18th – or face contempt charges.
The judge did not completely grant Marvel’s request, however; the studio behind the billion-dollar superhero franchise had also asked for “entry onto the designated premises, land, or other property possessed or controlled by you at the time, date, and locations set forth,” but this was denied by the court.
Instead, Google must now respond to a demand of the “IP address from which the file named ap-tlr-l-int_360p.mp4 and containing content known as Avengers: Age of Ultron was uploaded to the Google Drive Site.”
Marvel had intended to debut the trailer during on television, during an episode of the spin-off Agents of Shield series – in a move to boost the ratings of the show. But the trailer was leaked days before it was supposed to screen.
The court’s decision will be monitored by organisations supporting individuals’ rights to privacy, and the decision has already been criticised as an example of the law siding with big business.
As for ‘John Gazelle’, believed to be a Marvel employee, it appears that his or her identity will not remain shielded for long.
