Tarantino v. Gawker Media, LLC

Tarantino, a multiple Oscar winning and nominated writer and director, is the writer and owner of a screenplay entitled The Hateful Eight. The script was leaked by unknown persons. On January 22, 2014, the website Gawker.com published an article about the leak... read full description

Tarantino, a multiple Oscar winning and nominated writer and director, is the writer and owner of a screenplay entitled The Hateful Eight. The script was leaked by unknown persons. On January 22, 2014, the website Gawker.com published an article about the leak and Tarantino's reaction, and solicited readers to provide Gawker with a copy of the script. The following day, Gawker.com carried an article on its website with a hyperlink to a website where the document appeared.

Tarantino filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California against Gawker Media, LLC, Gawker Media Group, Inc., and Gawker Entertainment, LLC (collectively, "Gawker") and Does 1-10, asserting the following claims:

1. Copyright Infringement [17 U.S.C. § 101 et. Seq.] (against Does 1-10)
2. Contributory Copyright Infringement [17 U.S.C. § 101 et. Seq.] (against defendants Gawker and Does 2-10)

The complaint alleges that Doe 1, also named as "AnonFiles.com," provided a full copy of the screenplay for download, which copy was either uploaded by Gawker or uploaded by another Doe defendant with Gawker's encouragement, and that other Does committed direct infringement by accessing the copy. The complaint further alleges that Doe 1