Three Canadian ISPs have been ordered to hand over details about their Internet subscribers in the latest skirmish in the long movie copyright battle over The Hurt Locker. At least two companies have confirmed they will comply with the order.
Production company Voltage Pictures LLC owns the copyright on the film, and the company has been aggressively pursuing alleged copyright infringement activities in the U.S., and now Canada.
The plaintiff says its film has been "copied and distributed ... via the Internet without ... permission" and it is seeking legal and financial recourse.
A litigation case in the United States, in which Voltage filed a 'pay up or else' action, was launched last year.
As well, through Montreal-based IP law firm Goudreau Gage Dubuc, Voltage applied for an order from the Court there to force three Canadian ISPs - Bell Canada, Cogeco Cable and Videotron - to hand over subscriber account details regarding those alleged to have violated its copyright.
Voltage sought "an order permitting the holding of a written discovery of Bell Canada, Cogeco Cable and Videotron GP so that they identify the names and addresses related to their accounts receivable associated with IP addresses".
The Federal Court has granted the order, ruling at the time that the ISPs had some two weeks to deliver requested information. That two-week period apparently ends Monday.
In e-mail correspondence, a spokesperson for Videotron said the company would not be commenting on the case.
A Bell spokesperson said in an e-mail reply to Mediacaster Magazine that "Bell takes the privacy of its customers seriously and always complies with Canadian privacy laws and CRTC privacy regulations
"We disclose customer information only when directed to do so by a court order and only to the extent required by such an order
"In this instance we do intend to comply with the Quebec Superior Court's order - which relates to less than 10 Bell IP addresses - and have no plans to appeal."
A Cogeco communications officer also said the company would comply with the order, and that it involves ten customers.
Once the information is received, Voltage says it may send notices to the individuals, seeking compensation or further action.
The Hurt Locker is an award-winning 2009 American war film, directed by Kathryn Bigelow. Industry figures indicate the movie was produced on a budget of $12 million USD, a figure equalled in its opening weekend box office results.