Strike 3 Holdings v. John Doe Subscriber Assigned IP Address 67.180.140.150
- 3:26-cv-08673
- U.S. District Court · Northern District of California
- 3
In Strike 3 Holdings v. John Doe, the court allowed a subpoena to identify the defendant while protecting notice and challenge rights.
Strike 3 Holdings, LLC, the unidentified defendant associated with IP address 67.180.140.150, Comcast Cable Communications, LLC, and any later-identified internet service provider or subscriber affected by the subpoenas.
What happened
Strike 3 Holdings, LLC asked the court for permission to subpoena Comcast Cable Communications, LLC before the parties’ required planning conference. The subpoena seeks the name and address of the person associated with the internet address listed in the complaint.
The court found good cause and allowed Strike 3 Holdings to issue the subpoena. It also allowed subpoenas to later-identified internet providers, limited use of the information to enforcing the claims in the complaint, and required notice to the subscriber.
The order gives the subscriber and internet provider 30 days to challenge, cancel, or change the subpoena. Judge the court also required preservation of the information and provisional filing under seal of identifying information.
The detailed version
- Strike 3 Holdings v. John Doe Subscriber Assigned IP Address 67.180.140.150 · No. 3:26-cv-08673
- Sept. 15, 2026
Background
Strike 3 Holdings, LLC filed an ex parte application asking for permission to serve a third-party subpoena before the parties held the conference required by Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 26(f). The requested subpoena would be served on Comcast Cable Communications, LLC, identified as the internet service provider, to obtain the true name and address of the defendant associated with the internet protocol address listed in Exhibit A to the complaint.
Ruling
The court found that Strike 3 Holdings had shown good cause to serve the subpoena. It authorized Strike 3 Holdings to serve Comcast with a Rule 45 subpoena seeking the defendant’s name and address, provided that the order is attached. It also authorized a similar subpoena to any service provider identified in a response as providing internet services to the defendant.
If Comcast qualifies as a cable operator under the cited federal statute, the order requires it to follow the statute’s notice requirement by sending the defendant a copy of the order. The order further limits Strike 3 Holdings’ use of information obtained through the subpoena to protecting and enforcing the rights asserted in the complaint.
Notice and challenges
Comcast must serve the subscriber or subscribers with copies of the subpoena and order within 30 days after the subpoena is served on Comcast. Each subscriber and Comcast has 30 days after service to file a motion challenging the subpoena, including a motion to cancel or modify it. If no subscriber timely challenges the subpoena, Comcast has 10 additional days to produce the responsive information. Comcast must preserve the subpoenaed information until production or final resolution of a timely challenge.
The defendant’s name and other identifying information must be provisionally filed under seal and not otherwise disclosed. After the defendant is served, the court may require the defendant to seek permission to proceed anonymously. Judge the court entered the order on September 14, 2026.
Read the full 3-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.