ARTICLE · 09 NOVEMBER 2006

Unlocking The Realities Of Procedure

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A recent case has shown the way for copyright owners who find their works being infringed on the internet. In Helen Grant v Google UK (17 May), the High Court ordered the internet search engine Google to assist a potential copyright infringement case by disclosing the identity of one of its advertisers.

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A recent case has shown the way for copyright owners who find their works being infringed on the internet. In Helen Grant v Google UK (17 May), the High Court ordered the internet search engine Google to assist a potential copyright infringement case by disclosing the identity of one of its advertisers.

When the Individual Self-Discovery Trust discovered that an unauthorised draft of its unpublished work Unlock Reality had been made available on the internet for free download it tried to put a stop to it. Investigations revealed that the work was available through an advertisement generated by Google which led to a website, Realityunlocked.com. The domain had been registered through a company which specialises in cloaking the identity of domain owners. The Trust asked for Google’s help in identifying the advertiser. Google initially declined, possibly because of a perceived duty of confidentiality to its customers, but said it would not oppose an application by the Trust for a Norwich

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