BBC Demands Microsoft Tell It Who Leaked Dr Who Footage

The BBC has slapped software giant Microsoft with a subpoena in order to find out who leaked Dr Who test footage earlier this year.

The BBC began its court case after a rough cut of a scene from Doctor Who’s 11th series was leaked back in June.

The British broadcaster has now requested Microsoft’s help to help identify the “alleged infringer or infringers,” from his (or her) OneDrive account.

Who dun it?

The BBC filed a DMCA subpoena with a Washington state federal court, which can be read here, thanks to TorrentFreak.

The BBC subpoena said that a OneDrive user stored and shared a copy of the leaked clip.

“The requested subpoena relates to infringing material that BBC Studios discovered on the website <onedrive.live.com>, which BBC Studios is informed and believes is operated by Microsoft.”

It is reported that the BBC is hoping that Microsoft will hand over “any name, account name, address, telephone number, email address, birth date, profile photo, device information, browser information, location information, information from others and time posted.”

The BBC request is a bold move considering Microsoft’s reputation when it comes to refusing demands from authorities to hand over data about its users.

For example Microsoft was involved in a protracted legal fight against attempts by US judicial authorities to obtain customer data (emails) held in an overseas data centre in Ireland.

For years Microsoft refused to hand over the data and eventually won that legal battle in 2016.

Redmond has also refused to hand over Skype customer data to a court in Belgium, but Microsoft lost its appeal in late 2017.

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