GQ subpoenas Google and AT&T to probe into illegal publishing

A federal judge has cleared the way for the publisher of GQ magazine to subpoena Google and AT&T in an attempt to learn the identity of a computer intruder who managed to steal unpublished editorial material and published it in the Web.

As it’s known an unknown thief somehow got access to the computer network of Conde Nast, and made off with more than 1,100 files containing pictures and editorial content for the December issue of GQ, Vogue and Lucky magazines. Later, in October, pictures from the GQ issue, which had yet to be published, showed up on photo-sharing site ImageBam, using a links that originated at FashionZag, published on Google's Blogger service.

The stunt, Conde Nast attorneys argued "was willfully done by defendants to thumb their noses at Conde Nast and the copyright law in response to" the takedown demand. Conde Nast employees could uncover the AT&T IP address used to access the material.

They requested permission for immediate access to Google and AT&T records that will identify who was behind the intrusion.

The case is the latest to test the line between user privacy and the rights of content owners and network operators. While federal laws generally require subpoena recipients to give up identities of people accused of network trespass, publishers are in some cases protected.