Marvel bosses are trying to find the source of an Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantamania leak.
The film, starring Paul Rudd and Jonathan Majors, was released in cinemas on 17 February. However, details of the plot were leaked online months before.
Comic book studio Marvel intends to take legal action over the leak, according to a Disney company source.
As reported by The Hollywood Reporter, a federal judge in California has issued subpoenas to Reddit and Google ordering the platforms to identify the users who leaked the dialogue.
The judge order follows after Marvel requested information so it could identify whoever posted the film’s unreleased dialogue to the r/MarvelStudioSpoilers subreddit.
According to the publication, Marvel is likely to sue over the leak.
Moderators of the subreddit in question posted the subtitle file for the Ant-Man sequel on 20 January, months after unconfirmed details of the plot were leaked on the site.
The moderators said that the subtitles confirmed the initial leak, claiming that they had translated the script – which was allegedly in a different language – into English before it was posted using a Google Docs.
In an effort to identify the moderators of the r/MarvelStudiosSpoilers, and ultimately those responsible for the leak, the studio requested “all identifying information” for the users that run the subreddit.
In addition to this, Marvel also requested information on “any other user(s) responsible for posting, editing, and/or maintaining the content” on the subreddit within the one-month period between 15 January and 15 February.
Given that a Google Docs file was used to host the script (which, according to The Hollywood Reporter, was too long to be posted on Reddit in its entirety), Google was also issued a subpoena.
The subpoena was filed under Digital Millennium Copyright Act, which allows copyright owners to request information that would identify the alleged infringers.
In a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, a spokesperson for Reddit said the company is “committed to protecting our users’ privacy” and has “rigorous processes in place to assess legal requests and object when appropriate”.
The Independent has contacted Reddit, Marvel Studios, and Google for comment.
