As someone who is not a lawyer, my question is what are the potential response avenues to a subpoena like this. That is, Meta has essentially demanded a ton of work from SimulaVR, for free. I very much agree with Simula's response of "We can't afford stuff like this".
So, realistically, what are Simula's options? I imagine a "fuck off" response won't go over well with the court. Can they give some cursory information? Is there some way they can challenge the subpoena as overly burdensome?
I hate how our legal system makes it so easy to demand work from someone else, when the burden on the demanding party is so extremely low. Why shouldn't Meta need to pay hundreds of dollars an hour for the information they are requesting? The lawyers are definitely charging that much.
This kind of subpoena is boilerplate. No one actually expects SimulaVR to provide all this information or to show up for a deposition.
This is actually how it will go down:
SimulaVR-Lawyer: Hey Meta-lawyer, I got your subpoena. We're a tiny company and this is overbroad. What do you guys actually want?
Meta-lawyer: Totally understand. Can we get a declaration from your founder about what your company is trying to do, who their competitors are, and few info about your financials? If you have pitch decks for investors, we'd love to get that as well.
SimulaVR-Lawyer: That seems doable but can the financials be filed under seal and attorney-eyes-only?
Meta-lawyer: Yeah that makes sense.
SimulaVR-Lawyer: Lemme talk to the founders and follow up with you. Let's talk later about what the declaration will look like.
Meta-lawyer: Thank you - appreciate it, and looking forward to hearing back soon.
So, realistically, what are Simula's options? I imagine a "fuck off" response won't go over well with the court. Can they give some cursory information? Is there some way they can challenge the subpoena as overly burdensome?
I hate how our legal system makes it so easy to demand work from someone else, when the burden on the demanding party is so extremely low. Why shouldn't Meta need to pay hundreds of dollars an hour for the information they are requesting? The lawyers are definitely charging that much.