Israeli Ministry of Justice Contemplating Legislation Allowing Doe Subpoenas against Pirating Users

The Israeli Ministry of Justice is examining the possibility of drafting a government sponsored bill aimed at compelling Internet companies to disclose the identity of internet users engaged in pirating and copyright infringement, through a Doe subpoena. Obviously, having the identify of pirating users would allow copyright holders to legally pursue Internet subscribers for copyright infringement and seek damages. The difficulty in this respect arises from an Israeli Supreme Court judgment delivered in 2010, which held that Israeli courts are not authorized to order the disclosure of Internet subscribers' identities, dues to the absence of specific statutory provisions in Israeli law empowering courts to do so. Since then, a number of bills have been introduced on this issue, but none have passed into law. Source (in Hebrew): Nexter (by Nati Tucker).