Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-cand-5_07-cv-04853/USCOURTS-cand-5_07-cv-04853-2/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 820
Nature of Suit: Copyright
Cause of Action: 17:501 Copyright Infringement

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EX PARTE APPLICATION TO EXTEND TIME TO SERVE DEFENDANT AND [PROPOSED] ORDER 

Case No. 5:07-cv-04853-HRL 

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Matthew Franklin Jaksa (CA State Bar No. 248072) 

HOLME ROBERTS & OWEN LLP

560 Mission Street, 25th Floor 

San Francisco, CA 94105-2994 

Telephone: (415) 268-2000 

Facsimile: (415) 268-1999 

Email: matt.jaksa@hro.com 

Attorneys for Plaintiffs, 

WARNER BROS. RECORDS INC.; SONY 

BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT; UMG 

RECORDINGS, INC.; and VIRGIN 

RECORDS AMERICA, INC. 

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 

NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 

SAN JOSE DIVISION 

WARNER BROS. RECORDS INC., a Delaware 

corporation; SONY BMG MUSIC 

ENTERTAINMENT, a Delaware general 

partnership; UMG RECORDINGS, INC., a 

Delaware corporation; and VIRGIN RECORDS 

AMERICA, INC., a California corporation, 

Plaintiffs, 

v. 

JOHN DOE #10, 

Defendant. 

CASE NO. 5:07-CV-04853-HRL 

Honorable Howard R. Lloyd 

EX PARTE APPLICATION TO EXTEND 

TIME TO SERVE DEFENDANT AND 

ORDER 

*E-Filed 1/22/08*

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EX PARTE APPLICATION TO EXTEND TIME TO SERVE DEFENDANT AND [PROPOSED] ORDER 

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Plaintiffs respectfully request, pursuant to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, Rules 4(m) 

and 6(b)(1)(A), that the Court grant an additional 90 days to serve Defendant with the Summons and 

Complaint. As further explained below, Plaintiffs believe they have discovered the identity of the 

Doe defendant in this case, but do not have sufficient time to file and serve Defendant with their 

amended complaint naming Defendant individually before the current deadline for service expires. 

In support of their request, Plaintiffs state as follows: 

1. The current deadline for service of process is January 18, 2008. The initial 

case management conference is set for April 8, 2008, at 1:30 p.m., as continued by the Court’s Order 

of January 4, 2008 upon Plaintiffs’ request. 

2. Plaintiffs filed their Complaint for Copyright Infringement against Defendant 

John Doe #10 (“Defendant”) on September 20, 2007. Plaintiffs did not have sufficient identifying 

information to name Defendant in the Complaint, but were able to identify Defendant by the Internet 

Protocol address assigned to Defendant by Defendant’s Internet Service Provider (“ISP”) – here, San 

Francisco State University. 

3. In order to determine Defendant’s true name and identity, Plaintiffs filed their 

Ex Parte Application for Leave to Take Immediate Discovery on September 20, 2007, requesting 

that the Court enter an Order allowing Plaintiffs to serve a Rule 45 subpoena on the ISP. 

4. The Court entered an Order for Leave to take Immediate Discovery on 

October 3, 2007, which was served upon the ISP along with a Rule 45 subpoena. On November 16, 

2007, the ISP responded to Plaintiffs’ subpoena, identifying Casey Melinda Lentz and providing 

Plaintiffs with contact information including Ms. Lentz’s telephone number and address. 

5. After receiving this information from the ISP, Plaintiffs sent a letter to Ms. 

Lentz notifying her of their claims for copyright infringement and encouraging her to make contact 

to attempt to amicably resolve this matter. Ms. Lentz did not respond to Plaintiffs’ letter, and to date 

follow-up efforts to contact Ms. Lentz by phone and e-mail have been unsuccessful. 

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EX PARTE APPLICATION TO EXTEND TIME TO SERVE DEFENDANT AND [PROPOSED] ORDER 

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6. Plaintiffs have prepared an amended complaint naming Ms. Lentz individually 

as the defendant and intend to file the same. However, it appears that Plaintiffs will not be able to 

serve the amended complaint by the current service deadline. Therefore, Plaintiffs respectfully 

request an additional 90 days to effectuate service. 

7. Plaintiffs submit that their efforts to give written notice to Ms. Lentz of their 

claim and subsequent efforts to contact her and resolve the case before naming her in the lawsuit 

constitute good cause for any delay in perfecting service. See Ritts v. Dealers Alliance Credit Corp., 

989 F. Supp. 1475, 1479 (N.D. Ga. 1997) (stating good cause standard for service extensions). This 

Court has discretion to enlarge the time to serve even where there is no good cause shown. 

Henderson v. United States, 517 U.S. 654, 658 n. 5 (1996). Here, Plaintiffs have acted in good faith 

to try to settle this matter with Ms. Lentz without potentially damaging her credit by naming her in 

the suit as well as attempting to avoid the cost of further litigation for both parties. Moreover, unlike 

a traditional case in which the defendant is known by name and efforts to serve can begin 

immediately after filing the complaint, in this case Plaintiffs first had to obtain the identity of the 

defendant through the subpoena to the ISP. 

8. Because the copyright infringements here occurred in 2007, the three-year 

limitations period for these claims has not expired. See 17 U.S.C. § 507(b) (2000). There can thus 

be no prejudice to the Defendant from any delay in serving the Complaint. 

9. Plaintiffs will provide the Defendant with a copy of this request and any Order 

concerning this request when service of process occurs. 

Dated: January 17, 2008 HOLME ROBERTS & OWEN LLP 

By: _________/s/ Matthew Franklin Jaksa___

MATTHEW FRANKLIN JAKSA 

Attorney for Plaintiffs 

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ORDER

 Good cause having been shown: 

IT IS ORDERED that, pursuant to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, Rules 4(m) and 

6(b)(1), Plaintiffs’ time to serve the Summons and Complaint on Defendant be extended to April 17, 

2008. 

Dated: ___________________ By: _____________________________ 

 Honorable Howard R. Lloyd 

 United States Magistrate Judge 

March 3, 2008. 1/22/08

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