Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-cand-3_07-cv-04878/USCOURTS-cand-3_07-cv-04878-3/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
Arista Records LLC
Plaintiff
John Doe
Defendant
Sony BMG Music Entertainment
Plaintiff
UMG Recordings, Inc.
Plaintiff

Document Text:

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

Case No. :07-cv-04878-MMC 

#34951 v1

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

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, 

ARISTA RECORDS LLC; UMG 

RECORDINGS, INC.; and SONY BMG 

MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT 

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 

NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 

SAN FRANCISCO DIVISION 

ARISTA RECORDS LLC, a Delaware limited 

liability company; UMG RECORDINGS, INC., 

a Delaware corporation; and SONY BMG 

MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT, a Delaware 

general partnership, 

Plaintiffs,

v.

JOHN DOE, 

Defendant.

CASE NO. :07-CV-04878-MMC 

Honorable Maxine M. Chesney 

EX PARTE APPLICATION TO EXTEND 

TIME TO SERVE DEFENDANT AND 

[PROPOSED] ORDER 

Case 3:07-cv-04878-MMC Document 14 Filed 01/22/08 Page 1 of 4
 1 

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

Case No. :07-cv-04878-MMC 

#34951 v1

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

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 and have attempted to contact her to resolve the dispute; however, in the 

event the dispute is not resolved, Plaintiffs do not have sufficient time to amend the Complaint and 

effectuate service before the current service deadline 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 4, 2008, at 10:30 a.m., as continued by the Court’s 

Order of December 28, 2007 upon Plaintiffs’ request. 

2. Plaintiffs filed their Complaint for Copyright Infringement against Defendant 

John Doe (“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, 

California State University, Monterey Bay. 

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 1, 2007, which was served upon the ISP along with a Rule 45 subpoena. On November 30, 

2007, the ISP responded to Plaintiffs’ subpoena, identifying Hayley Azevedo and providing 

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

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

Azevedo on December 18, 2007 notifying her of their claims for copyright infringement and 

encouraging her to make contact to attempt to amicably resolve this matter. To date, Ms. Azevedo 

has not responded to Plaintiffs, although this may be due in part to the university holiday.

Case 3:07-cv-04878-MMC Document 14 Filed 01/22/08 Page 2 of 4
 2 

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

Case No. :07-cv-04878-MMC 

#34951 v1

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

6. Plaintiffs wish to give Ms. Azevedo a reasonable period of time to respond 

and resolve this case before naming her in the suit and should she fail to do so are prepared to amend 

the complaint to name her as an individual defendant. 

7. Given the circumstances of this case, Plaintiffs respectfully request an 

additional 90 days to effectuate service.

8. Plaintiffs submit that their efforts to give written notice to Ms. Azevedo of 

their claims 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). 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. 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). 

9. 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. 

10. 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 

Case 3:07-cv-04878-MMC Document 14 Filed 01/22/08 Page 3 of 4
 1 

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

Case No. :07-cv-04878-MMC 

#34951 v1

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

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 Maxine M. Chesney 

 United States District Judge 

January 22, 2008

plaintiffs shall, no later than April 17, 2008, amend their complaint to identify Defendant and

serve the Summons and Amended Complaint on Defendant.

Case 3:07-cv-04878-MMC Document 14 Filed 01/22/08 Page 4 of 4