📰 New article from TorrentFreak
DMCA Subpoenas Can’t Be Used for Foreign Piracy Lawsuits, Court Rules
https://torrentfreak.com/dmca-subpoenas-cant-be-used-for-foreign-piracy-lawsuits-court-rules/
DMCA Subpoenas Can’t Be a Global Piracy Hit List, Court Rules
When manga giant Shueisha tried to unmask the shadowy operator behind Mangajikan—once one of the web’s biggest piracy hubs—it turned to a DMCA subpoena targeting Cloudflare. The move worked: the site vanished, and a court granted the subpoena. But now, a federal judge has slammed the brakes on how that intel can be used.
Here’s the catch: The DMCA subpoena is strictly for U.S. copyright enforcement. In a sharp ruling, Magistrate Judge Thomas S. Hixson clarified that Shueisha’s sworn declaration—stating the info would be used “only” for protecting rights under U.S. law—binds them tightly. No foreign lawsuits. Period.
Why it matters:
- Shueisha can’t use the operator’s identity to launch lawsuits in Japan or elsewhere.
- Filing a token U.S. case won’t “unlock” the data for global use—that’s a no-go “bait-and-switch.”
- The operator wins on privacy: while their name can go in U.S. court docs, personal details (emails, phones, financials) stay shielded.
Bottom line: DMCA subpoenas aren’t a backdoor to global enforcement. Rightsholders get smart intel—but only within American legal lines.
Cloudflare now must hand over the identity. Shueisha has until the statute of limitations runs out to file a U.S. suit—or destroy the data. 🚫🌍