CONDÉ Nast has corralled a pair of big-name Internet players in its bid to stop hackers from infiltrating the publisher’s computer network.
The owner of magazines like Vogue, The New Yorker and Bon Appetit, last week got permission from a federal judge to issue expedited subpoenas to Google and AT&T to try to obtain the identities of at least five hackers Condé claims are responsible for the breach.
The subpoenas are the latest chapter in S.I. Newhouse‘s recently filed copyright infringement suit against the hackers who got their hands on material from Condé mags before publication, including GQ’s Men of the Year issue, and the December issues of Vogue, Lucky and Teen Vogue, which ended up on the Web site FashionZag.
The suit, which is also claiming damages under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, cites no specific dollar amount. Insiders say that Condé Nast’s primary aim is to bring the hacking to a quick end.
The hackers are identified only as John Does 1 through 5.
According to the Dec. 17 suit, the hackers obtained and copied 1,100 Condé Nast files sometime in September.
Two months later, on Nov. 12, the hackers reproduced and posted five alternate covers for the December 2009 Men of the Year issue of GQ to a photo hosting site called ImageBarn.com. The pictures later showed up on BayImg.com.
A blog called FashionZag linked to the covers on ImageBarn, which according to the suit, dutifully blocked access after Condé Nast lawyers fired off a takedown notice.
But the lawsuit, filed in Manhattan federal court, claims that FashionZag then made additional postings of the as-yet-to-be-published pages — known in industry parlance as “the well.”
“This subsequent posting, mischievously presented under the heading, ‘GQ December 2009: The Rest of It,’ was willfully done by defendants to thumb their noses at Condé Nast and the copyright law in response to Condé Nast’s attempt to curtail defendant’s acts of infringement. . .,” said the miffed publisher in the suit.
Moving times
Publishers are said to be scrambling to cut real estate costs for 2010, while commercial real estate prices are low.
One rumor circulating is that TV Guide, which has been hit by multiple waves of layoffs, will leave New York City entirely.
Insiders confirmed the magazine is looking for new space, but didn’t say where.
Acting CEO Jack Kliger could not be reached.
The slumping magazine is currently in offices on East 42nd Street that were once home to The New Yorker. But with all the TV Guide job cuts, the space is now too big and expensive for its needs.
There also could be space for rent at the Time & Life Building in the near future.
Fortune, which took one of the biggest wallops in the recent layoffs at Time Inc., is moving floors and scrunching into Money’s editorial space. Staffers are said to be none too happy about the new, cramped quarters.
The move triggered rounds of speculation that Time Inc., which axed around 500 employees worldwide — including 280 in New York offices — could be clearing space so it can sublease some of the floors it has under a long-term lease.
Time Inc. officials declined to comment.
As previously reported by Media Ink, the bankrupt Reader’s Digest Association is going to move its world headquarters sometime in April from Chappaqua, NY, (the company used the mailing address of Pleasantville) to what was once a satellite office of Condé Nast at 750 Third Ave.
RDA will be paying about $30 per square foot for the new digs.
The offices are known by insiders as a Bermuda Triangle of Condé, since several magazines, including Elegant Bride, Modern Bride and House & Garden, folded not long after passing through the space.
Golf Digest was also based there for a while, and though that Condé monthly is still in business, it has had some embarrassment in recent weeks due to its close ties to “playing editor” Tiger Woods. Condé also still keeps its Women’s Wear Daily and W magazines at 750 Third.
A pass
The NYPD has apparently backed away from the idea of getting out of the press credentials business.
All working press passes that were due to expire in January will automatically be extended to July 15 while the NYPD transitions to a biannual system.
“We want to be able to issue press cards that are good for two years,” said Deputy Commissioner Paul Browne. Currently, the cards have to be renewed every year.
Each year, the department issues about 2,500 working press passes, which allow reporters to cross police and fire lines that the general public can’t. They also are used to secure the coveted NYP plates issued by state motor vehicle de partments.
Browne said he could not just jettison the one- year passes because it is part of the NYC administrative code and requires public input.