Reddit is pushing back against a request to reveal the identify of a user who allegedly shared copyrighted material.

In June, a song named "Heathens" was uploaded to file-sharing site Dropfile and subsequently found its way to Reddit. Soon after, Atlantic Records filed a lawsuit in New York, requesting that Reddit hand over the Reddit user's IP address so it could identify the alleged offender.

As reported by Ars Technica, however, Reddit declined the request, saying that Atlantic Records and its subsidiary label Fueled by Ramen failed to show merit in their case.

"Atlantic claims that, once the Court orders discovery regarding the Reddit user's identity, Atlantic will pursue claims for breach of contract and for breach of fiduciary duty against the user," Reddit wrote in a filing. "Of course, in order to obtain pre-action discovery, Atlantic must demonstrate now that it has meritorious claims against the Reddit user.

"However, Atlantic has failed to show that its claims are meritorious for two, simple reasons," the company continued. "First, it has failed to establish that it has a contractual relationship with the Reddit user. Second, it has failed to establish that it has a fiduciary relationship with the Reddit user. Because Atlantic has not demonstrated that it has meritorious causes of action against the unidentified Reddit user, its petition for pre-action discovery related to such user should be denied."

In the filing, Reddit called the lawsuit little more than an "impermissible fishing expedition."

Of course, the recording industry, and specifically the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) won't take kindly to Reddit's denial. For years, the organization and the labels and artists it represents have been fighting an uphill battle against alleged copyright infringement.

While there have been some victories, including taking down peer-to-peer file-sharing services, torrents have cropped up and Reddit has become home to some copyrighted material. Last month, for example, Warner Bros. issued a Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) takedown notice against a popular subreddit where users can stream content.

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