Judge Allows Film Owners|to Subpoena Web Users

(CN) - Companies that hold the rights to the movies "Far Cry" and "The Chaos Experiment" can subpoena the names of Internet users accused of illegally downloading movies, a federal judge in Washington, D.C., ruled.

In two nearly identical rulings issued Friday, U.S. District Judge Rosemary Collyer said the copyright owners could subpoena Internet service providers for the names, addresses, phone numbers and other identifying information of Internet subscribers who allegedly pirated "Far Cry" and "The Chaos Experiment."

When the ISPs notified their customers that their identities might be revealed, the subscribers asked the court to quash the subpoenas, citing privacy concerns.

"Courts have held that Internet subscribers do not have an expectation of privacy in their subscriber information as they already have conveyed such information to their Internet Service Providers," Collyer wrote.

In the first case, "Far Cry" owner Achte/Neunte Boll Kino Beteiligungs GmbH & Co. KG filed copyright infringement claims against several unnamed computer users.

West Bay One, owner of "The Chaos Experiment," filed similar claims, prompting the subpoenas.

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