In Re Subpoena Duces Tecum to America Online, Inc.
Virginia Circuit Court
52 Va. Cir. 26 (2000)
Relevant factsFree
Anonymous Publicly Traded Company (APTC) (plaintiff) subpoenaed America Online (AOL) (defendant) seeking the identities of certain AOL subscribers so it could properly name them as defendants in a separate lawsuit; AOL moved to quash the subpoena, arguing its subscribers' First Amendment right to anonymous online speech barred disclosure.
IssueFree
Whether the First Amendment right to communicate anonymously extends to speech in internet chat rooms and message boards, and if so, under what circumstances a court may nonetheless compel an internet service provider to disclose a subscriber's identity.