Court finds “good cause” to allow expedited discovery in adult film piracy case.
Trenton, NJ – A federal judge in the District of New Jersey has granted a motion by Strike 3 Holdings, LLC, an adult film company, to subpoena Verizon Fios for the identity of a subscriber accused of illegally downloading 26 copyrighted films using the BitTorrent network.
Key Points
- Strike 3 Holdings filed the suit against an unnamed defendant tied to IP address 96.225.48.60.
- The company alleges 26 instances of copyright infringement involving its adult films.
- The court approved early discovery, allowing a subpoena to obtain the defendant’s name and address.
- Judge found “good cause,” saying the request was narrow and necessary for service of the complaint.
Strike 3 Holdings, a Delaware-based producer of adult motion pictures, claimed in its complaint that its detection systems—known as VXN Scan and the Cross Reference Tool—linked the defendant’s IP address to the unlawful sharing of copyrighted material. The company filed the lawsuit on February 17, 2026, alleging violations of the Copyright Act.
Magistrate Judge Stacey D. Adams granted the company’s request on March 2, 2026, allowing it to serve a subpoena before the usual discovery conference under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 26(f).
The court applied the “good cause” standard commonly used in internet-based copyright cases, balancing the company’s need to identify the defendant with the privacy interests of the unnamed subscriber. Judge Adams determined that Strike 3’s request was “narrowly tailored” and sought only identifying information necessary to move the case forward.
“Good cause exists where the need for expedited discovery outweighs any prejudice to the responding party,” the court wrote, noting that similar requests by Strike 3 have been granted in prior New Jersey cases.
The order authorizes Verizon Fios to disclose the subscriber’s name and address associated with the listed IP address so that the plaintiff can amend its complaint and serve the defendant.
Tags: new jersey, copyright, strike 3 holdings