When the first trailer for Avengers: Age of Ultron leaked, it hit the Internet like a hydrogen bomb. Shortly afterward, Marvel officially released the trailer and even toyed around with the situation to spin things in its favor. However, it looks like the truth is more scathing, as Marvel asked a judge for a subpoena against Google to identify the leaker, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
Marvel asked for the subpoena on Tuesday at a California federal court, and is looking for information on “John Gazelle,” the man who uploaded a version of the trailer on Google Drive. With the subpoena, Marvel hopes to get the IP address associated with the user’s YouTube and Google+ accounts and thereby identify him.
The judge granted the subpoena on Wednesday and Google will be forced to appear in court on November 18 to reveal the identity of the leaker. Avengers: Age of Ultron is arguably the most important Marvel movie of 2015, so it’s no surprise Marvel wants to control its destiny and not leave the film in the hands of an unknown third party.
Lionsgate experienced a similar happening this summer when The Expendables 3 leaked in its entirety. Lionsgate took to the courts to get restraining orders against torrent site operators who were accused of circulating the movie, but The Expendables 3 ended up bombing in the box office anyway.