The request by the attorney's of the woman who has accussed Kobe Bryant of rape for her identity to be withheld has been denied.

"The parties appear as equals before the court and that fundamental principle must be protected throughout these proceedings," U.S. District Judge Richard Matsch said in a four-page decision. No trial date has been set.

The defense had said the woman wanted to preserve her anonymity "while exposing the intimate details of her sexual encounter with Mr. Bryant and requiring him to bear alone the burden of constant public scrutiny." It said there was no point to it because her name is so easily found online.

"Her anonymity, such as it is, is in the hands of the media," the defense said in its filing.