Avengers: Age of Ultron leaker hunted by Marvel as Google forced to give up user data
Internet giant subpoenaed for all data relating to 'John Gazelle'
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Your support makes all the difference.After the first trailer for Avengers: Age of Ultron was leaked online Marvel kept calm. They requested an take down, tweeted a joke blaming the villains from the series (“Dammit, Hydra”) and uploaded an official HD version hours later.
Don't be fooled however, the suavity of Marvel's PR is being matched by some determined legal action, with the studio successfully obtaining a subpoena against Google to hand over data to identify the leaker.
Marvel are asking for all identifying information about the pseudonymous user “John Gazelle” and their original post of “a file named ap_tlr-1_int-360p.mp4” on a Google Drive account.
They want all the information they can get to “establish the name(s), address(es), telephone number(s), email address(es), IP address(es) used”.
In other words, they really want to catch this guy.
Which is understandable. The leak was doubly galling for Marvel as it not only forced them to reveal the film early (before they’d set the stage with their full line-up of superhero films going all the way to 2019) but the trailer’s premier was also set to air during an ad-break for the series’ tie-in TV show Agents of Shield – currently pulling in fairly miserable viewing figures.
The studio could also be worried than the leaker will upload the full film before its May 2015 release date, hurting ticket sales as happened to The Expendables 3.
However, as the official trailer beat viewiing records to score more than 34 million views in 24 hours, it doesn't look like a lack of audience interest is going to plague the film.
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