by Marvel is getting closer to the source of a script leak from Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantum Mania before the film was released, and intends to take legal action, says a source at the Disney company The Hollywood Reporter.
A California federal judge on Monday issued subpoenas to Reddit and Google asking them to identify the users who leaked the dialogue. The order came after the company moved to obtain information on anyone who posted unedited dialogue from the film to the r/MarvelStudiosSpoilers subreddit.
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Marvel is likely to pursue litigation against the person or group responsible for the leak. This could include a referral to prosecutors for copyright infringement, among other charges.
The moderators of the Marvel Movie Spoilers subreddit posted the subreddit file for Marvel Movies on January 20th Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantum Mania after unconfirmed plot details were leaked on the site a couple of months prior. Moderators said the subtitles confirmed the leak. The script was supposedly in a different language, requiring it to be translated into English before being released.
On Friday, Marvel requested “all identifying information” for users running r/MarvelStudiosSpoilers as well as “any other users responsible for posting, editing, and/or maintaining content” on the subreddit from Jan. 15 to Feb. 15.
Google also received a subpoena because it hosted a Google Docs file containing the script, which was too long to post on Reddit.
The subpoena was filed under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, which allows copyright holders to obtain information identifying alleged infringers. The law is intended to criminalize practices designed to circumvent measures that control access to copyrighted works.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantum Mania has joined the ranks of other Marvel films, including Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Spider-Man: No Way Home AND Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, who leaked plot details ahead of their theatrical debut. In the era of COVID-19, Marvel has faced an increasingly difficult time keeping its secrets due to more people having access to sensitive information. The pool of potential leaks has widened, for example, with the need for more VFX artists, who work from home on a regular basis.
Marvel may report the incident being picked up by prosecutors. To substantiate a charge of criminal copyright infringement, the defendant must have intentionally infringed copyright and sought to profit from the infringement. Prosecutors could also determine that the defendant made a work available to the public online with the knowledge that the copyright owner intended to distribute it commercially in the near future instead of having to prove that the infringer intended to commercially benefit from it. copyright owner’s expense.
In a statement, a Reddit spokesperson said the company is “committed to protecting the privacy of our users” and has “rigorous processes in place to evaluate legal requests and object when appropriate.”
Marvel Studios and Google did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
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