order to show cause 293

7/28/2019 Order to Show Cause 293

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/order-to-show-cause-293 1/6

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IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

FOR THE DISTRICT OF OREGON

VOLTAGE PICTURES, LLC,

P l a i n t i f f ,

v .

DOES 1-198 , DOES 1-12 , DOES 1-34DOES 1-371

Defendan t s .

AIKEN, C h i e f Judge :

Nos. 6: 13-cv -2 90-AA, 2: 13 -292-AA, 1:13-293-AA,3:13-295-AA

ORDER

P l a i n t i f f Vol tage P i c t u r e s i n s t i t u t e d t h e s e a c t i o n s on

Februa ry 19, 2013, a s s e r t i n g c o p y r i g h t i n f r i n g e m e n t a g a i n s t a l a r g e

number o f u s e r s o f v a r i o u s B i t To r r e n t c l i e n t s , i d e n t i f i e d o n l y by

t h e i r i n t e r n e t p r o t o c o l (IP) a d d r e s s e s . P l a i n t i f f a l l e g e s

d e f e n d a n t s c o l l e c t i v e l y i n t e r c o n n e c t e d t o i l l e g a l l y copy and

1 - ORDER

Case 1:13-cv-00293-AA Document 11 Filed 04/10/13 of 6 Page ID#: 61



d i s t r i b u t e p l a i n t i f f ' s mot ion p i c t u r e . On February 22, 2013, t h e

c o u r t g r a n t e d p l a i n t i f f ' s mot ion t o e x p e d i t e d i s c o v e r y so t h a t

p l a i n t i f f c o u l d subpoena t h e v a r i o u s i n t e r n e t s e r v i c e p r o v i d e r s

(ISP) f o r i d e n t i t y o f t h e a c c o u n t h o l d e r s a s s o c i a t e d wi th each IP

add re s s o f t h e a l l e g e d i n f r i n g e r s . Th e c o u r t a l s o o r d e r e d

p l a i n t i f f t o amend t h e c o m p l a i n t s w i t h i n 45 days t o name t h e Doe

de f enda n t s o r s e e k an e x t e n s i o n . To d a t e , p l a i n t i f f has n o t

amended t h e c o m p l a i n t s w i t h i d e n t i f i c a t i o n o f t h e d e f e n d a n t s o r

sought an e x t e n s i o n t o do so . A c c o r d i n g l y, p l a i n t i f f i s orde red t o

show c a u s e why t h e c a s e s should n o t be d i s m i s sed f o r f a i l u r e t o

fo l low a c o u r t o r d e r.

In a d d i t i o n , t h e c o u r t i s m i n d f u l o f t h e growing p o p u l a r i t y o f

c o p y r i g h t h o l d e r s t o u se c o u r t s a s t o o l f o r i d e n t i f y i n g a l l e g e d

i n f r i n g e r s a s a means t o s e e k qu i ck s e t t l e m e n t s w i t hou t a c t u a l l y

l i t i g a t i n g t h e ca se s i n c o u r t . T h e · f a i l u r e t o amend t h e comp l a in t s

i n t h e s e c a s e s l e a d s t h e c o u r t t o s u s p e c t t h a t p l a i n t i f f i n t h i s

c a s e may be s eek ing t o use t h e t h i s c o u r t i n such a manner w h i l e

keep ing t h e l i t i g a t i o n c o s t s t o minimum.

I n d e e d , by f i l i n g a g a i n s t hundreds o f Doe de fen d an t s i n one

c a s e i n each d i v i s i o n , p l a i n t i f f has on l y had t o pay $1 ,400 i n

f i l i n g f e e s a s opposed t o $215,250 i f each c a s e were p u r s u e d

i n d i v i d u a l l y . P l a i n t i f f j u s t i f i e s f i l i n g i n t h i s manner by

a l l e g i n g t h a t j o i n d e r i s p e r m i s s i v e i n t h e s e a c t i o n s b e c a u s e

p l a i n t i f f ' s c l a i m s a r i s e o u t o f t h e same occu r r en c e s o r

2 - ORDER




t r a n s a c t i o n s o r s e r i e s o f o c c u r r e n c e s o r t r a n s a c t i o n s w i t h

q u e s t i o n s o f law and f a c t common t o each d e f e n d a n t . However, t h e

c o u r t ' s f u r t h e r r ev iew o f t h e s e c a s e s n e c e s s i t a t e d by p l a i n t i f f ' s

f a i l u r e t o t i m e l y amend r e v e a l s t h a t t h i s ma y n o t be t h e c a s e .

Under F e d e r a l Rule o f C i v i l Procedure 20, j o i n d e r i s p r o p e r

i f (1 ) p l a i n t i f f ' s c la ims a r i s i n g o u t o f t h e same t r a n s a c t i o n s and

o c c u r r e n c e s and (2 ) some q u e s t i o n o f law o r f a c t i s common t o a l l

t h e d e f e n d a n t s w i l l a r i s e i n t h e a c t i o n . See Fed. R. Civ. P. 2 0 ( a ) ;

D e s e r t Empire Bank v. I n s u r a n c e Co . o f N. Am., 62 3 F.2d 1371, 1375

(9 th C i r . 1980) . Even i f t h e s e r e q u i r e m e n t s a r e met , a d i s t r i c t

c o u r t must examine w h e t h e r p e r m i s s i v e j o i n d e r would "compor t w i t h

t h e p r i n c i p l e s o f fundamen ta l f a i r n e s s " o r would r e s u l t i n

p r e j u d i c e t o e i t h e r s i d e . D e s e r t Bank, 62 3 F.2d a t 1375.

D e s p i t e p l a i n t i f f ' s a l l e g a t i o n s o f commonal i ty, t h e f i l e

s h a r i n g p r o t o c o l s used i n t h e s e c a s e s can r e s u l t from l a r g e l y

v a r y i n g methods , ~ i m e and p l a c e s . Peer t o p e e r f i l e s h a r i n g h as

evo lved from t h e d i r e c t a t t a c h m e n t t o a n o t h e r computer t o copy

e n t i r e f i l e s t o t h e use o f t r a c k e r s , Bi t To r r e n t c l i e n t s , and

t o r r e n t f i l e s t o a l low u s e r s t o connec t t o n e a r l y an u n l i m i t e d

amount o f compute r s t o s h a r e b i t s and p i e c e s o f a f i l e t h a t a r e

r e c o n s t r u c t e d t o c o n s t i t u t e t h e whole f i l e o v e r d i f f e r i n g t ime

p e r i o d s and even u s i n g d i f f e r e n t computers o r d e v i c e s t o f i n a l l y

accompl i sh t h e t a s k . Such f i l e s may be an image o f t h e f i l e s on a

DVD whose e n c r y p t i o n has been c i rcumven ted o r t h e i n d i v i d u a l f i l e s

3 - ORDER




t h a t a r e s t o r e d on a DVD and r e a d back t h r o u g h a DVD p l a y e r o r

compu te r s o f t w a r e d e s i g n e d t o r e a d t h e f i l e s . O t h e r t h a n t h e

o r i g i n a l u p l o a d e r who a l l e g e d l y c i r c u m v e n t e d t h e e n c r y p t i o n and

p r o v i d e d t h e f i l e s t o s t a r t t h e p r o c e s s , i t i s n o t n e c e s s a r y f o r

any p a r t i c i p a n t i n t h e swarm o f u s e r s d o w n l o a d i n g / u p l o a d i n g t h e

f i l e s t o s h a r e any one e n t i r e f i l e .

Indeed , depend ing on t h e c l i e n t used and t h e r u l e s o f a g i v e n

t r a c k e r , i t i s p o s s i b l e t o o n l y download an d n o t o t h e r w i s e s h a r e

any p i e c e s o f t h e f i l e . I n a d d i t i o n , i t i s n o t n e c e s s a r y f o r any

one p a r t i c i p a n t t o r ema in c o n n e c t e d so t h a t any o t h e r p a r t i c i p a n t

ma y comple t e t h e p r o c e s s t o download t h e e n t i r e f i l e ( s ) . 1

Moreover, n o t a l l p a r t i c i p a n t s i n t h e p r o c e s s n e c e s s a r i l y c o n n e c t

t o each o t h e r even when p r e s e n t t o d o w n l o a d / u p l o a d . There a r e many

r e a s o n s wh y c e r t a i n u s e r s may n e v e r c o n n e c t t o one a n o t h e r t h a t

c o u l d i n c l u d e f i r e w a l l s e t t i n g s , ISP r e s t r i c t i o n s , e t c .

F u r t h e r m o r e , u s e r s ma y p a r t i c i p a t e i n t h e p r o c e s s w i t h o u t e v e r

comple t ing a download l e a v i n g them w i t h u s e l e s s p i e c e s o f a l l e g e d l y

c o p y r i g h t e d m a t e r i a l s . A c c o r d i n g l y, t h e r e c o u l d be a v a r i e t y o f

f a c t s uncommon t o t h e a l l e g e d i n f r i n g e r s . C o n c e i v a b l y, t h e r e c o u l d

be d i f f e r e n t l e g a l t h e o r i e s o f d e f e n s e and p e r h a p s even c o n f l i c t i r i g

d e f e n s e s .

1 The c o u r t i s aware t h a t c e r t a i n c l i e n t s p e r m i t u s e r s t odownload v i e w a b l e / l i s t e n b l e p o r t i o n s w i t h o u t download ing t h e wholef i l e o r group o f f i l e s , b u t t h i s j u s t f u r t h e r d e m o n s t r a t e s t h ep o t e n t i a l l a c k o f commona l i t y i n t h e s e c a s e s .

4 - ORDER




The e x h i b i t s t o t h e compla in t s demons t ra te t h a t th e Doe

d e f e n d a n t s p a r t i c i p a t e d i n th e p r o c e s s sometimes months a p a r t from

each o t h e r and from up t o hundreds o f m i l e s away u t i l i z i n g many

d i f f e r e n t ISPs and d i f f e r e n t B i t To r r e n t c l i e n t s . Th e c o u r t h as

r e s e r v a t i o n s over th e p r o p r i e t y o f j o i n d e r , e s p e c i a l l y g iven th e

a p p a r e n t use o f t h i s c o u r t mere ly as a means t o i d e n t i f y th e

a l l e g e d i n f r i n g e r s f o r purposes o f s e e k i n g cheap and easy

s e t t l e m e n t . The mere i n d i c a t i o n o f p a r t i c i p a t i o n i n th e p e e r t o

p e e r p r o c e s s v i a use o f a B i t To r r e n t c l i e n t weakly s u p p o r t s th e

a l l e g a t i o n s o f p e r m i s s i b l e j o i n d e r i n t h e s e c a s e s . N o n e t h e l e s s ,

th e c o u r t would l i k e l y e x e r c i s e i t s d i s c r e t i o n t o s e v e r d e f e n d a n t s

g iven th e p o t e n t i a l v a r y i n g d e f e n s e s and th e c o n f u s i o n and d e l a y

t h a t would e n t a i l .

F u r t h e r s u p p o r t f o r s e v e r a n c e cou ld be j u s t i f i e d by th e

p o t e n t i a l misuse o f th e subpoena powers o f t h e c o u r t t o f a c i l i t a t e

demand l e t t e r s and c o e r c e s e t t l e m e n t r a t h e r t h a n u l t i m a t e l y s e r v e

p r o c e s s and l i t i g a t e t h e c l a i m s . 2 As no ted above, p l a i n t i f f has

saved hundreds o f t housands o f d o l l a r s t h rough th e use o f j o i n d e r

i n a c a s e where s e r v i c e on th e v a s t m a j o r i t y o f d e f e n d a n t s may no t

o c c u r. Accord ing ly, i n a d d i t i o n t o showing cause a s t o why th e

2 0ne p o t e n t i a l p l a i n t i f f i n th e 3 : 1 3 - 2 95 c a s e has a l r e a d yf i l e d an answer, d e s p i t e l a c k o f s e r v i c e , a f t e r hav ing beenn o t i f i e d o f th e subpoena by h er ISP on March 6, 2013 . Th e answeri n d i c a t e s t h a t t h e IS P p r o v i d e d i d e n t i f y i n g i n f o r m a t i o n t op l a i n t i f f on March 2 1 , 2 0 1 3 .

5 - ORDER




c a s e s shou ld n o t be d i s m i s s e d f o r f a i l u r e t o fo l low a c o u r t o r d e r ,

p l a i n t i f f i s o r d e r e d t o show c a u s e why d e f e n d a n t s s h o u l d n o t be

s e v e r e d and p l a i n t i f f r e q u i r e d t o pay t h e r e q u i s i t e f i l i n g f e e s t o

p u r s u e a case a g a i n s t each i n d i v i d u a l d e f e n d a n t .

CONCLUSION

For t h e r e a s o n s s t a t e d above , p l a i n t i f f s h a l l show cause i n

w r i t i n g , w i t h i n 10 days , as t o why t h e s e c a s e s s h o u l d n o t be

d i s m i s s e d f o r f a i l u r e t o fo l low a c o u r t o r d e r and why d e f e n d a n t s

shou ld n o t be s e v e r e d , r e q u i r i n g t h e f i l i n g o f i n d i v i d u a l

c o m p l a i n t s .

DATEDt h i s ----Lf:z_da y o f A p r i ~ . ' . '

( b A ~L L _ b ~Ann Alken

Uni ted S t a t e s D i s t r i c t Judge

6 - ORDER


order to show cause 293

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