Subpoena

A subpoena is a written court order requiring its recipient to do something — typically produce documents (subpoena duces tecum) or appear and testify (subpoena ad testificandum). U.S. subpoenas are issued by U.S. courts and are binding on U.S. persons and entities; they are not directly binding on a foreign-incorporated host operating outside the U.S.

When a U.S. subpoena targets evidence held offshore, the requesting party typically needs to either (a) re-route through MLAT, (b) attempt to compel the U.S. entity holding equivalent evidence (e.g. a U.S. customer's local copies), or (c) seek a U.S. court order compelling a U.S. parent or affiliate of the offshore host. Offshore hosts without U.S. parent / affiliate ties are functionally outside U.S. subpoena reach — though they remain subject to local court orders in their own jurisdiction.