Avengers 2 Trailer Video Leak Case: Marvel Tries To Find Source Of Leak

Marvel is on hot on the heels of the person who leaked the trailer of "The Avengers: Age of Ultron" movie, and is taking selective but effective action to obtain his or her identity.

This proves once again that even though Internet accounts can be anonymous, they don't remain so for long, especially if service providers like Google are forced to reveal details of the account holder.

However, this isn't the only attempt Marvel is making to counteract the impact of the leaked trailer. It started by releasing the official full length trailer the same day the leak came out. Then it decided to not track down every copy of the leaked trailer as it circulated on the Internet but instead started to look for the person who first posted it online.

Marvel also opted to use the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) to its advantage. Using the Act, Marvel took Google to court. Last Wednesday, a judge ordered Google to hand over all the information pertaining to the user operating under the "John Gazelle" account. Google has to comply with the subpoena and present all relevant information by Nov. 18.

As part of the subpoena, Google will also have to hand over the IP address from which the person uploaded the file named "ap-tlr-l_int_360p.mp4" to his Google Drive account. If Google has any other information that can be used to identify the user under the "John Gazelle" account, they will also have to hand it over to Marvel. This includes any address, telephone numbers, email addresses or account numbers that "John Gazelle" used when setting up his account.

The website io9 clarifies that this subpoena shows that the courts are siding with Marvel. However. Marvel did not get permission to enter Google's premises.

This subpoena should go a long way in Marvel identifying the source of the leak, who most probably is one of its own employees, and making him or her pay.