Page "John Doe" Paragraph 10

The term ' John Doe Injunction ' ( or John Doe Order ) is used in the UK to describe an injunction sought against someone whose identity is not known at the time it is issued :" 8. 02 If an unknown person has possession of the confidential personal information and is threatening to disclose it, a ' John Doe ' injunction may be sought against that person.

The first time this form of injunction was used since 1852 in the United Kingdom was in 2005 when lawyers acting for JK Rowling and her publishers obtained an interim order against an unidentified person who had offered to sell chapters of a stolen copy of an unpublished Harry Potter novel to the media ".

Unlike in the United States the name ( John ) Doe does not actually appear in the formal name of the case, for example: X & Y v Persons Unknown HRLR 4.