Activision Demands Reddit Identify 'Call of Duty' Leaker

The video game publisher has invoked the Digital Millennium Copyright Act against the tech giant to give up the identity of a user who posted information about an upcoming game release.

Activision, the publisher of the Call of Duty franchise, has filed a Digital Millennium Copyright Act subpoena against Reddit,Inc. to "identify alleged infringers" who leaked information about an upcoming Call of Duty title on its site.

"Reddit is the service provider to which the subject of the subpoena-Reddit user 'Assyrian2410' – posted infringing Activision content," the filing, submitted Feb. 14 in California's Northern District Court, reads. "The Content infringes Activision's exclusive rights under copyright law. Specifically, it infringes Activision's rights in its popular video game Call of Duty: Modern Warfare."

The filing includes a link to the offending post, made in the Modern Warfare subreddit, which had a title of "I found this image online, not sure what it is," that has since been taken down.

The DMCA, originated in 1998, protects Internet companies — like Reddit, YouTube, etcetera — from liability for copyright infringement if one of its users posts content that's protected without permission. In exchange, the company has to respond to requests from copyright owners to take down infringing material, among other rules for compliance.

Activision is requesting that Reddit provide the information for the user who leaked its content, Assyrian2410, to seek legal action against the individual.

Reddit declined to comment when contacted by The Hollywood Reporter and a request for comment from Activision was not immediately returned.