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I
NTHEUNITEDSTATESDISTRICTC
O
URTF
O
RTHEDI
S
TRICTOFMARYLANDSOUTHERNDIVISION
VIRGINRECORDSAMERICA,INC.,aC
a
se
N
o.Califomiacorporation;MOTOWNRECORDCOMPANY,L.P.,aCalifornialimitedpartnership;ATLANTICRECORDINGCORPORATION,aDelawarecorporation;SONYMUSICENTERTAINMENTINC.,aDelawarecorporation;ARISTARECORDS,INC.,aDelawarecorporation;andWARNERBROS.RECORDSINC.,aDelawarecorporation,Plaintiffs,
V,
JOHNDOE,Defendant
.
MEM
O
RANDUM
O
FLAW
I
NSUPP
O
RTOFPLA
I
NTIFFS'M
O
TI
O
NF
O
RLEAVET
O
TA
K
EIMMEDIATEDISCOVERYI.IN
T
R
O
DUC
T
I
O
NP
laintiffs,recordcompanieswhoownthecopyrightsinthemostpopularsoundrecordingsintheUnitedStates,seekleaveofCourttoservelimited,immediatediscoveryonathirdpartyInternetServiceProvider("ISP")todeterminethetrueidentityoftheDoeDefendant,whoisbeingsuedfordirectcopyrightinfringement.Withoutsuchdiscovery,Plaintiffscannot
 
identifytheDoeDefendant,andthuscannotpursuetheirlawsuittoprotecttheircopyrightedworksfromrepetitive,rampantinfringement.1Asallegedinthecomplaint,theDoeDefendant,withoutauthorization,usedanonlinemediadistributionsystem(
e
.
g
.,apeer-to-peeror"P2P"system)todownloadPlaintiffs'copyrightedworks,distributecopyrightedworkstothepublic,and
/
ormakecopyrightedworksavailablefordistributiontoothers.SeeDeclarationofJonathanWhitehead("WhiteheadDecl."),16andEx.1.AlthoughPlaintiffsdonotknowthetruenameoftheDefendant,2PlaintiffshaveidentifiedDefendantbyauniqueInternetProtocol("IP")addressassignedtohimorheronthedateandatthetimeoftheDefendant'sinfringingactivity.Id____.dditionally,Plaintiffshavegatheredevidenceoftheinfringingactivity
.
Id
.
716-17.PlaintiffshavemadecopiesofseveralsoundrecordingsDefendantillegallydistributedormadeavailablefordistribution,andhaveobtainedcopiesofamorecompletelistoffilesthatDefendanthasmadeavailabletothepublicfordistribution.Id___.ndEx.1.PlaintiffshaveidentifiedtheISPthatprovidedInternetaccesstoDefendantbyusingapubliclyavailabledatabasetotracetheIPaddressforDefendant.Id_7712,16.Here,theISPistheUniversityofMarylandCUofMD").Id__
.
WhengivenaDefendant'sIPaddressandthedateandtimeofinfringement,anISPquicklyandeasilycanidentifythenameandaddressofaDoeDefendant(
i
.
e
.
,
theISP'ssubscriber)becausethatinformationiscontainedinBecausePlaintiffsdonotcurrentlyknowtheidentityofDefendant,PlaintiffscannotascertainDefendant'spositiononthisMotion.2WhenusingaP2Psystem(
e
.
g
.,KaZaA,iMesh,Grokster,orGnutella),Defendantstypicallyusemonikers,orusernames,andnottheirtruenames.WhiteheadDecl
.
,7.PlaintiffshavenoabilitytodetermineDefendant'struenameotherthanbyseekingtheinformationfromtheISP.Id.11,16-17.
 
theISP'ssubscriberactivitylogfiles.Id.14.
3
Plaintiffs'experienceisthatISPstypicallykeeplogfilesofsubscriberactivitiesforonlylimitedperiodsoftime-sometimesforaslittleasweeksorevendays-beforeerasingthedata.Id.22.PlaintiffsnowseekleaveofCourttoservelimited,immediatediscoveryonUofMDtoidentifyDefendant.PlaintiffsintendtoserveaRule45subpoenaonUofMDseekingDefendant'struename,address,telephonenumber,e-mailaddress,andMediaAccessControl("MAC")addresses.
O
ncePlaintiffslearnDefendant'sidentifyinginformation,PlaintiffswillcontacttheDefendantandattempttoresolvethedispute.Ifthedisputeisnotresolvedanditisdeterminedthatitwouldbemoreappropriatetolitigatethecopyrightinfringementclaimsinanotherjurisdiction,PlaintiffswilldismissDefendantfromthepresentlawsuitandre-fileinanotherjurisdiction.WithouttheabilitytoobtaintheDefendant'sidentifyinginformation,however,Plaintiffsmayneverbeabletopursuetheirlawsuittoprotecttheircopyrightedworksfromrepeatedinfringement.Id.22.Thus,theneedforthelimited,immediatediscoverysoughtinthisMotioniscritical.II.
B
A
C
KG
R
OUNDTheInternetandP2Pnetworkshavespawneda
n
illeg
a
ltradeincopyrightedworks.BydownloadingP2Psoftware,andloggingontoaP2Pnetwork,anindividualcanupload(distribute)ordownload(copy),withoutauthorization,countlesscopyrightedmusicand3ISPsownorareassignedcertainblocksorrangesofIPaddresses.AsubscribergainsaccesstotheInternetthroughanISPaf
t
ersettingupanaccountwiththeISP.AnISPthenassignsaparticularIPaddressinitsblockorrangetothesubscriberwhen
t
hatsubscribergoes"online."Afterreviewingthesubscriberactivitylogs(whichcontaintheassignedIPaddresses),anISPcanidentifyitssubscribersbyname.WhiteheadDecl.,14.3
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