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What your ISP subpoena letter means, how much time you have, and what to do next.

If you just opened a subpoena letter from Comcast, AT&T, or another provider, you may be worried. A movie company convinced a federal judge that your IP address downloaded its content, and the provider now has a deadline to release your identity. You may not know what happens next or how much time you have to respond.

Antonelli Law® can help. Since 2010, we have helped more than 5,000 people in similar situations like yours. We can explain what your letter means and the best route forward.

Understanding Your ISP Subpoena Letter

Before your letter arrived, a movie company told a federal court that your IP address downloaded its copyrighted work through BitTorrent. The court then allowed your provider to release your name and address. For now, the movie company has your IP address and the dates tied to it, but it does not have your name.

Your provider has not shared your identity yet. Until it does, the movie company does not know who you are. However, you need to act quickly.

Check Deadlines

The letter should give you a clear timeline, but the dates can get confusing. Here is what you need to know:

  • Your ISP may notify you within 5 to 10 days after receiving the subpoena.
  • You typically have 30 to 60 days to act after your ISP sends the notice.
  • Your letter may show two different deadlines. The subpoena compliance deadline tells your ISP when it must respond to the court. The ISP disclosure deadline tells you when your provider may release your information if you take no action.
  • The two dates may not match. In some cases, the court deadline falls after the disclosure date listed in your letter.
  • During your consultation, we pull your case from the federal court system and explain which date applies to your situation.

What to Do Next

A few simple steps can protect your position while you decide what to do next.

Save Every Letter

Keep everything you received from your provider in a safe place.

Leave Your Devices Alone

Do not delete files or uninstall BitTorrent software. Those changes can create more problems.

Do Not Contact the Movie Company

Do not speak with its attorneys or sign anything they send you before you get legal advice.

Tell Us What Happened

Contact our team to talk through your situation and learn how we can help.

See Your Options at a Glance

Your next step depends on your situation and what you want to accomplish. Here is what each option involves and when it may fit.

Option What It Means Best If
Anonymous settlement We negotiate with the movie company using your IP address as the identifier, and your name never appears on the settlement document. You want the fastest, most common path to resolving this without going to court.
Motion to quash We ask the court to block your ISP from releasing your information. You have strong grounds to challenge the subpoena itself.
Federal court defense We can defend you through litigation if you did not download the content and have evidence to prove it. You are prepared for a 12 to 18 month case and want to fight this in court.
No action Your ISP releases your information on its own timeline, and the movie company decides what happens next. You choose not to respond, but you should understand what may follow.

Why Experience With These Cases Matters

You do not have much time once your provider sends you a subpoena letter. Experience with these cases can affect how quickly you understand your options and protect your anonymity.

What Matters to You Antonelli Law Other Attorneys
Keeping your name out of it We negotiate using your IP address as the identifier, the same way the court does, so your name stays off the settlement document. An attorney without experience handling these cases may reveal your real name.
Knowing how this plaintiff behaves From our experience, we know how these cases typically unfold and how the plaintiff might respond. Another attorney may encounter a plaintiff for the first time with your case.
Moving before your identity is disclosed We evaluate your case and start negotiating while you are still anonymous. An attorney may wait to take action until after your provider releases your information.

Act While You’re Still Anonymous

You still have a chance to keep your name out of the case. That window closes when your ISP’s deadline passes, so waiting can give the movie company a path to your identity. We have handled cases involving more than 50 copyright plaintiffs and use that experience to help keep you anonymous. Schedule your first call with a copyright defense attorney now.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will my internet provider protect me from this?

No. Your provider notifies you because federal law requires it, not because it’s on your side. It won’t challenge the subpoena or negotiate with the movie company for you, and once your deadline passes, it releases your information whether you’ve acted or not.

What if I really didn’t download anything?

Your name on the internet account does not mean you downloaded the content. Someone else with access to your connection could have used it, and we look at those possibilities when we review your case.

What happens if the movie company decides to pursue my case?

They file an amended complaint that replaces “John Doe” with your name and then serve you with a summons. You have 21 days to respond or risk a default judgment. Settlement demands typically increase after service, so acting before your provider releases your identity can give you more options.

Could I really owe $150,000?

That figure is the maximum statutory damages for proven willful infringement, not a typical outcome. Most cases resolve through anonymous settlement well before that number becomes relevant.