BBC Court Case Update

The BBC is continuing its attempt to get the US courts to force computer firms to release details identifying the individual who leaked a short section from the upcoming series of Doctor Who.

In June, a 53-second clip was released unofficially online. The latest BBC action confirms this was from episode one of the new series.

Last month we reported that the BBC had asked a California court to force the online platform Tapatalk to produce information allowing the identification of the source of the leak.

On 2nd August, BBC Worldwide Limited filed a request in the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington State, under the terms of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. The act, introduced in 1998, is designed to enable copyright holders to learn the identities of suspected infringers of their copyright material.

The subpoena asks Microsoft to disclose details of the owner of the OneDrive account on which the stolen clip was stored. It lists the clip name, IMG_ l563.TRIM.MOV, and seeks access to the details of the person uploading the clip.

The subpoena does not need to be approved by a judge. Once drafted, It is simply checked by a court clerk for completeness, before being issued to the service provider, who is then required to hand over any relevant identification, including the name, email and other information collected.