The highly anticipated “Beetlejuice 2” film, featuring Jenna Ortega and Winona Ryder, is set to debut in September. However, the excitement was dampened when an ‘on set’ photo surfaced on Tumblr, leaked by an unknown individual who managed to access early footage. This teaser has drawn the ire of Warner Bros., prompting them to take action.
Warner Bros. has obtained a DMCA subpoena, compelling Tumblr to disclose the identity of the user responsible for leaking the unauthorized photo. The studio is determined to protect its intellectual property rights and maintain the integrity of the film’s release.
In 1988, the young movie director Tim Burton soared to fame with the iconic comedy horror “Beetlejuice,” earning widespread acclaim and an Oscar win. This marked the beginning of Burton’s illustrious career, with subsequent hits like “Batman” and “Edward Scissorhands.”
Now, over 35 years later, fans are eagerly anticipating the release of the sequel, “Beetlejuice 2.” Bringing back familiar faces like Winona Ryder and Michael Keaton, alongside new talent such as Jenna Ortega, the film is set to hit theaters in September of this year.
While Warner Bros. has been stoking excitement with trailers and teasers, an unexpected twist occurred when previously unseen material from the film surfaced online. In a post on Tumblr last November, a user named ‘polly-p9’ shared what appeared to be an ‘on set’ photo from the upcoming sequel. The post, adorned with tags like #beetlejuice, #timburton, #leak, and #warnerbros, has since garnered attention and speculation from fans worldwide.
Warner Bros. is not taking the leak of the “Beetlejuice 2” material lightly. With a history of actively combating unauthorized distribution of leaked content, the studio swiftly took legal action in response to the leaked image.
In a recent move, Warner Bros. filed for a DMCA subpoena at a California federal court, seeking to compel Tumblr to disclose the identity of the individual behind the account ‘@polly-p9’. The request is supported by a declaration from Michael Bentkover, Director of Worldwide Online Enforcement Operations at Warner Bros., outlining the copyright infringement committed by the user.
While the declaration does not explicitly reference “Beetlejuice 2,” a takedown request accompanying the filing leaves no doubt about the studio’s intentions. Warner Bros. aims to identify the individual responsible for sharing unauthorized, copyrighted material from its upcoming theatrical film on Tumblr.
Subpoena Targets Tumblr
DMCA subpoenas don’t require a review from a judge and a week after the request was filed, it was signed off by a court clerk. Afterward, the movie studio sent a copy to Tumblr, requesting it to hand over the information.
The paperwork requires Tumblr to share information that would make it possible to identify the user who, according to Warner Bros., posted the ‘copyrighted’ image that was taken ‘on set’.
“Such information would include, but is not limited to, the individuals’ names, physical addresses, IP addresses, telephone numbers, e-mail addresses, payment information, account updates and account history,” the subpoena clarifies.
The image may be a photo of another image displayed on a laptop or similar device, but we couldn’t verify this independently. While the photo itself isn’t copyrighted, the “Beetlejuice 2” movie is.
Tumblr Responds?
Warner Bros. stresses that any information obtained will only be used to protect the studio’s copyright interests. What that entails exactly, was not made clear.
Tumblr confirmed to us that it received the subpoena and chose not to object. This suggests that, if any usable information was available, it was handed over to Warner Bros., with the affected user also notified.
“While we can’t discuss the specifics of the case, we can confirm that we did receive the subpoena in question, and after assessment of the facts available to us, did not file an objection.
“If a user account was identified, we will have notified the impacted account holder with more details – including whether or not information was provided,” a Tumblr spokesperson adds.
Tumblr, which is owned by WordPress.com parent company Automattic, further points out that it’s very critical of potential DMCA abuse. As highlighted in the past, it rejects a large percentage of the takedown notices it receives.
“As you know, it is our policy to review every bit of legal process we receive. In addition, we are particularly sensitive to abuse of the DMCA to curtail freedom of speech, and we have regularly pushed back on overreaching DMCA takedown demands,” the company notes.
What this means for the current situation is unclear. At the time of writing the @polly-p9 account no longer exists. Interestingly, however, the leaked image hasn’t disappeared from the web completely.
Leak Still Floats Around
A reverse image search shows that copies of the leaked “Beetlejuice 2” image are still available online through various social media platforms. This includes a copy that was posted on Tumblr before Warner Bros. requested its subpoena.
These other leaks are not hard to find but Warner Bros. apparently hasn’t taken action in response.
A logical explanation could be that the movie studio isn’t overly concerned about the leaked image, but more about the person who leaked it. After all, this person could leak more sensitive information in the future.
TorrentFreak requested a comment from Warner Bros. on the motivation behind the subpoena, but the company didn’t immediately reply. If a response comes in later, this article will be updated accordingly.
Warner Bros. is not taking the leak of the “Beetlejuice 2” material lightly. With a history of actively combating unauthorized distribution of leaked content, the studio swiftly took legal action in response to the leaked image.
In a recent move, Warner Bros. filed for a DMCA subpoena at a California federal court, seeking to compel Tumblr to disclose the identity of the individual behind the account ‘@polly-p9’. The request is supported by a declaration from Michael Bentkover, Director of Worldwide Online Enforcement Operations at Warner Bros., outlining the copyright infringement committed by the user.
While the declaration does not explicitly reference “Beetlejuice 2,” a takedown request accompanying the filing leaves no doubt about the studio’s intentions. Warner Bros. aims to identify the individual responsible for sharing unauthorized, copyrighted material from its upcoming theatrical film on Tumblr.
