Opinion ID: 2010647
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Balancing Competing Interests

Text: When faced with the clash of such valued interests, we must strike a balance between the well-established First Amendment right to speak anonymously, and the right of the plaintiff to protect its proprietary interests and reputation through the assertion of recognizable claims based on the actionable conduct of the anonymous, fictitiously-named defendant[]. Dendrite International, Inc. v. Doe No. 3, 342 N.J.Super. 134, 775 A.2d 756, 760 (2001); accord, Cahill, 884 A.2d at 456 ([W]e must adopt a standard that appropriately balances one person's right to speak anonymously against another person's right to protect his reputation). [7] To meet these goals, we conclude, it is not enough that the plaintiff has successfully pleaded a claim of defamation. Before enforcing a subpoena for identifying information, a court must conduct a preliminary screening to ensure that there is a viable claim that justifies overriding an asserted right to anonymity. The tension between a speaker's desire for anonymity and the right of the plaintiff to protect his reputation or property arises in a variety of contexts, including defamation, copyright infringement, harassment, and malicious gossip. See, e.g., Doe I v. Individuals, 561 F.Supp.2d at 251 (plaintiffs alleged they were targets of defamatory, threatening, and harassing comments); Highfields Capital Management, L.P. v. Doe, 385 F.Supp.2d 969, 971 (N.D.Cal.2005) (plaintiff alleged defamation, commercial disparagement, and trademark claims); Mobilisa, 170 P.3d at 715-16 (plaintiff alleged violations of federal law regarding electronic communications, as well as trespass to chattels). Because the interests at stake will vary, a trial court may need to modify the test we adopt depending on the type of injury alleged. In other words, one size does not necessarily fit all. Here we are faced with a claim of defamation, and we therefore formulate a general framework to fairly accommodate the reputational interests of the plaintiff and the First Amendment rights of the anonymous defendant. [8]