Illinois Federal Court Limits Discovery of IP Address Identification Information from ISPs in John Doe Actions: Highlights Continuing Challenge of Identifying Anonymous Posters Of Trade Secrets and Other Intellectual Property On Internet

As highlighted in our recent webinar, The New Risk: Employee Theft Of Trade Secrets And Confidential Information In The Name Of Protected Whistleblowing, companies continue to struggle with anonymous whistleblowers in the Internet and social media age, including anonymous individuals who post trade secrets and other intellectual property on the Internet. Courts are often relunctant to require internet service providers ("ISPs") to disclose account holder information pursuant to a plaintiff’s third party subpoena in a John Doe action against the alleged infringer/misappropriator without a strong showing on the merits by the plaintiff.

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