Nate Anderson, ArsTechnica.com; Antipiracy lawyers pirate from other antipiracy lawyers:
"Crafting original content takes real time and effort; it's much easier to customize something created by others (see, for instance, the copyright page for Dunlap, Grubb, & Weaver, the law firm behind the US Copyright Group; then compare to this and this).
So many people license material, as Crossley did (and as Ars does with the stock photo elements that our graphic design genius, Aurich Lawson, turns into pictures of, say, a tie-wearing praying mantis). Others just take it without permission—but grabbing it from a firm that specializes in copyright prosecutions seems like a pretty dim idea."
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2010/09/antipiracy-lawyers-pirate-from-other-antipiracy-lawyers.ars
Showing posts with label US Copyright Group. Show all posts
Showing posts with label US Copyright Group. Show all posts
Friday, October 1, 2010
Bomb threat as US Copyright Group sues 2,000 more file-swappers; Ars Technica, 10/1/10
Nate Anderson, Ars Technica; Bomb threat as US Copyright Group sues 2,000 more file-swappers:
"These new cases bring the total number of people sued by US Copyright Group to over 16,200—and that's in just nine months."
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2010/10/bomb-threat-as-us-copyright-group-sues-2000-more-file-swappers.ars
"These new cases bring the total number of people sued by US Copyright Group to over 16,200—and that's in just nine months."
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2010/10/bomb-threat-as-us-copyright-group-sues-2000-more-file-swappers.ars
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Judge puts hammer down on Hurt Locker P2P subpoena; ArsTechnica.com,
Nate Anderson, ArsTechnica.com; Judge puts hammer down on Hurt Locker P2P subpoena:
"A federal judge in South Dakota this week quashed a US Copyright Group subpoena targeting an ISP in his state. Why? Jurisdiction, and a fax machine."
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2010/09/judge-puts-hammer-down-on-hurt-locker-p2p-subpoenas.ars
"A federal judge in South Dakota this week quashed a US Copyright Group subpoena targeting an ISP in his state. Why? Jurisdiction, and a fax machine."
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2010/09/judge-puts-hammer-down-on-hurt-locker-p2p-subpoenas.ars
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Next wave of Far Cry torrent lawsuits incoming; ArsTechnica.com, 7/19/10
Matthew Lasar, ArsTechnica.com; Next wave of Far Cry torrent lawsuits incoming:
"Looks like that small battalion of attorneys who've agreed to represent accused file sharers of Hurt Locker, Far Cry, other movies had better gird their loins. The Hollywood Reporter says that the law office spearheading these lawsuits has recruited over a dozen smaller firms around the United States to get the actions underway. They'll answer to the US Copyright Group as they go after defendants who decline to settle.
"Beginning the first week of August, expect an explosion of lawsuits around the nation," The Reporter warns."
http://arstechnica.com/media/news/2010/07/next-wave-of-far-cry-torrent-lawsuits-incoming.ars
"Looks like that small battalion of attorneys who've agreed to represent accused file sharers of Hurt Locker, Far Cry, other movies had better gird their loins. The Hollywood Reporter says that the law office spearheading these lawsuits has recruited over a dozen smaller firms around the United States to get the actions underway. They'll answer to the US Copyright Group as they go after defendants who decline to settle.
"Beginning the first week of August, expect an explosion of lawsuits around the nation," The Reporter warns."
http://arstechnica.com/media/news/2010/07/next-wave-of-far-cry-torrent-lawsuits-incoming.ars
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Court to Consider Breaking Up Mass BitTorrent Lawsuits; Wired.com, 6/29/10
David Kravets, Wired.com; Court to Consider Breaking Up Mass BitTorrent Lawsuits:
"If you’ve used BitTorrent to snag unauthorized copies of independent films you should be interested in the arguments unfolding in Wednesday in federal court in Washington, D.C.
At issue is a mass-litigation campaign, in which the fledgling US Copyright Group is suing about 15,000 users whose IP addresses were detected harvesting films like Steam Experiment, Far Cry, Uncross the Stars, Gray Man and Call of the Wild 3D.
Several digital rights groups will argue Wednesday on behalf of the account holders behind the IP addresses that each defendant should be sued individually in courts near where the defendants reside. Currently, they’ve all been lumped together in handful of lawsuits filed in the nation’s capital in March.
If U.S. District Judge Rosemary M. Collyer agrees with the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the American Civil Liberties Union and Public Citizen, the US Copyright Group could find its legal campaign almost impossible to continue on such a grand scale.
The issue is important if you live in California and have to answer to a lawsuit across the country. Copyright Act violations carry fines of up to $150,000.
A similar brouhaha came up during the Recording Industry Association of America’s lawsuit campaign against file sharers using Kazaa, Limewire and other networks. The association preferred suing hundreds of alleged downloaders at once, but in many instances were forced to drop the large-scale actions and sue each defendant separately.
In all, the RIAA sued thousands of individuals spread out over the past six years — and was backed by the deep pockets of the nation’s recording labels. If the US Copyright Group loses Wednesday’s courtroom showdown, it would be required to spend at least $350 per IP address to re-file an individual case against a sole defendant. Its lawyers likely would have to appear in courtrooms across the country, perhaps simultaneously.
The RIAA’s lawsuits against 20,000 alleged music pirates were focused on old-school file sharing systems like Kazaa and Limewire. BitTorrent file sharing is more complicated, with downloaders and uploaders collecting in transient swarms of so-called seeders and leechers. The US Copyright Group claims that, because of the swarming element of the BitTorrent protocol, the infringing activity of all the defendants likely had some nexus with the District of Columbia, even if a defendant’s computer was outside the district.
The indie filmmakers are taking a different tactic from their commercial counterparts. The Motion Picture Association of America, for the most part, has limited its lawsuits to BitTorrent sites themselves — like The Pirate Bay, TorrentSpy and Isohunt.
The allegedly offending IP address were sniffed out by Guardaley IT, a German peer-to-peer–surveillance firm."
http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2010/06/bittorrent-lawsuits/#ixzz0sNl95RKe:
"If you’ve used BitTorrent to snag unauthorized copies of independent films you should be interested in the arguments unfolding in Wednesday in federal court in Washington, D.C.
At issue is a mass-litigation campaign, in which the fledgling US Copyright Group is suing about 15,000 users whose IP addresses were detected harvesting films like Steam Experiment, Far Cry, Uncross the Stars, Gray Man and Call of the Wild 3D.
Several digital rights groups will argue Wednesday on behalf of the account holders behind the IP addresses that each defendant should be sued individually in courts near where the defendants reside. Currently, they’ve all been lumped together in handful of lawsuits filed in the nation’s capital in March.
If U.S. District Judge Rosemary M. Collyer agrees with the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the American Civil Liberties Union and Public Citizen, the US Copyright Group could find its legal campaign almost impossible to continue on such a grand scale.
The issue is important if you live in California and have to answer to a lawsuit across the country. Copyright Act violations carry fines of up to $150,000.
A similar brouhaha came up during the Recording Industry Association of America’s lawsuit campaign against file sharers using Kazaa, Limewire and other networks. The association preferred suing hundreds of alleged downloaders at once, but in many instances were forced to drop the large-scale actions and sue each defendant separately.
In all, the RIAA sued thousands of individuals spread out over the past six years — and was backed by the deep pockets of the nation’s recording labels. If the US Copyright Group loses Wednesday’s courtroom showdown, it would be required to spend at least $350 per IP address to re-file an individual case against a sole defendant. Its lawyers likely would have to appear in courtrooms across the country, perhaps simultaneously.
The RIAA’s lawsuits against 20,000 alleged music pirates were focused on old-school file sharing systems like Kazaa and Limewire. BitTorrent file sharing is more complicated, with downloaders and uploaders collecting in transient swarms of so-called seeders and leechers. The US Copyright Group claims that, because of the swarming element of the BitTorrent protocol, the infringing activity of all the defendants likely had some nexus with the District of Columbia, even if a defendant’s computer was outside the district.
The indie filmmakers are taking a different tactic from their commercial counterparts. The Motion Picture Association of America, for the most part, has limited its lawsuits to BitTorrent sites themselves — like The Pirate Bay, TorrentSpy and Isohunt.
The allegedly offending IP address were sniffed out by Guardaley IT, a German peer-to-peer–surveillance firm."
http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2010/06/bittorrent-lawsuits/#ixzz0sNl95RKe:
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Hurt Locker Producer Files Multimillion-Dollar Antipiracy Suit; SpinOff Online, 6/1/10
Kevin Melrose, SpinOff Online; Hurt Locker Producer Files Multimillion-Dollar Antipiracy Suit:
"The producer of The Hurt Locker pulled the trigger last week on a lawsuit against 5,000 unidentified people who allegedly pirated the Academy Award-winning film.
THR, Esq. reports that lawyers for Voltage Pictures will subpoena Internet service providers to identify individuals linked to IP addresses used to download the movie. Once those people have been identified, demand letters will be sent seeking $1,500 to release each alleged pirate from liability. Penalties will increase if there’s no response. If a case goes to trial, Voltage could seek damages of up to $150,000 per infringement, plus attorneys fees and costs.
Voltage is represented by the U.S. Copyright Group, a Washington, D.C.-based company that’s begun pursuing torrent downloaders on behalf of a coalition of independent movie producers.
The Hurt Locker leaked online some five months before its U.S. release, ultimately grossing only about $16 million in the domestic box office. It’s the lowest-grossing film to win the Oscar for Best Picture."
http://www.spinoffonline.com/2010/06/01/hurt-locker-producer-files-multimillion-dollar-antipiracy-suit/
"The producer of The Hurt Locker pulled the trigger last week on a lawsuit against 5,000 unidentified people who allegedly pirated the Academy Award-winning film.
THR, Esq. reports that lawyers for Voltage Pictures will subpoena Internet service providers to identify individuals linked to IP addresses used to download the movie. Once those people have been identified, demand letters will be sent seeking $1,500 to release each alleged pirate from liability. Penalties will increase if there’s no response. If a case goes to trial, Voltage could seek damages of up to $150,000 per infringement, plus attorneys fees and costs.
Voltage is represented by the U.S. Copyright Group, a Washington, D.C.-based company that’s begun pursuing torrent downloaders on behalf of a coalition of independent movie producers.
The Hurt Locker leaked online some five months before its U.S. release, ultimately grossing only about $16 million in the domestic box office. It’s the lowest-grossing film to win the Oscar for Best Picture."
http://www.spinoffonline.com/2010/06/01/hurt-locker-producer-files-multimillion-dollar-antipiracy-suit/
Sunday, May 16, 2010
'Hurt Locker' producers about to sue an army of pirates; Hollywood Reporter, 5/11/10
Eriq Gardner, Hollywood Reporter; 'Hurt Locker' producers about to sue an army of pirates:
"EXCLUSIVE: The war against movie piracy is getting downright explosive. We've learned that the producers of the Oscar-winning "The Hurt Locker" are preparing a massive lawsuit against thousands of individuals who pirated the film online. The case could be filed as soon as tomorrow.
Voltage Pictures, the banner behind the best picture winner, has signed up with the U.S. Copyright Group, the Washington D.C.-based venture that, as we first reported in March, has begun a litigation campaign targeting tens of thousands of BitTorrent users.
According to Thomas Dunlap, a lawyer at the firm, the multi-million dollar copyright infringement lawsuit should be filed this week. He declines to say exactly how many individuals will be targeted, but expect the number to be in the tens of thousands, if not more. "Locker" first leaked onto the web more than five months before its U.S. release and was a hot item in P2P circles after it won six Oscars in March. Despite the accolades, the film grossed only about $16 million in the U.S.
The U.S. Copyright Group has already filed lawsuits over about 10 other films, including Uwe Boll's "Far Cry," "Call of the Wild 3D" and "Uncross the Stars." Reports of those suits raised alarms in some circles, whereas others joked that the movie industry was merely suing those with poor taste.
"You can guess that relative to the films we've pursued already, the order of magnitude is much higher" with "Hurt Locker," says Dunlap, adding that the lawsuit will also cover other Voltage pictures such as "Personal Effects," starring Ashton Kutcher.
If the addition of "Locker" to this litigation campaign could shake things up, so too could news about cooperation by ISPs in this escalating fight.
After filing the lawsuits, the plaintiffs must subpoena ISP records in an effort to match IP addresses with illicit behavior on BitTorrent.
According to lawyers at Dunlap's firm, 75 percent of ISPs have cooperated fully. Those that have resisted are mostly doing so, they say, because of the amount of work involved in handing over thousands of names. But the clock may be ticking. For example, in the lawsuit over "Far Cry," Comcast has until next Wednesday to file motions to quash subpoenas. (Here's the stipulation by the parties.) By the end of next week, thousands of Comcast subscribers could be turned over.
Of the some 50,000 individuals who have been sued thus far, only three have tried to quash the subpoena. In one instance, a Georgia man tried to invoke the state's shield law protecting journalists from having to disclose their sources. The judge denied the motion. In another instance, a woman successfully got a court to throw out the subpoena because her IP address wasn't listed in the original complaint. Unfortunately for her, the complaint was then amended.
After unmasking individuals who have illegally downloaded films, the U.S. Copyright Group then sends a settlement offer.
Lawyers at the firm are seeing some returns on the first two lawsuits filed back in January. About 40 percent have settled, according to the U.S. Copyright Group. Those who haven't settled will be sent another round of settlement offers, and the group promises to eventually serve lawsuits on these individuals.
Since we first broke news about the litigation campaign, Dunlap says he's been besieged by e-mails from 20 to 30 independent film groups that have expressed frustration about rampant piracy and interest in joining up. The firm plans to send people to this month's Festival de Cannes, where they've already arranged meetings with a number of other film producers to discuss further lawsuits."
http://thresq.hollywoodreporter.com/2010/05/hurt-locker-producer-to-sue-pirates.html
"EXCLUSIVE: The war against movie piracy is getting downright explosive. We've learned that the producers of the Oscar-winning "The Hurt Locker" are preparing a massive lawsuit against thousands of individuals who pirated the film online. The case could be filed as soon as tomorrow.
Voltage Pictures, the banner behind the best picture winner, has signed up with the U.S. Copyright Group, the Washington D.C.-based venture that, as we first reported in March, has begun a litigation campaign targeting tens of thousands of BitTorrent users.
According to Thomas Dunlap, a lawyer at the firm, the multi-million dollar copyright infringement lawsuit should be filed this week. He declines to say exactly how many individuals will be targeted, but expect the number to be in the tens of thousands, if not more. "Locker" first leaked onto the web more than five months before its U.S. release and was a hot item in P2P circles after it won six Oscars in March. Despite the accolades, the film grossed only about $16 million in the U.S.
The U.S. Copyright Group has already filed lawsuits over about 10 other films, including Uwe Boll's "Far Cry," "Call of the Wild 3D" and "Uncross the Stars." Reports of those suits raised alarms in some circles, whereas others joked that the movie industry was merely suing those with poor taste.
"You can guess that relative to the films we've pursued already, the order of magnitude is much higher" with "Hurt Locker," says Dunlap, adding that the lawsuit will also cover other Voltage pictures such as "Personal Effects," starring Ashton Kutcher.
If the addition of "Locker" to this litigation campaign could shake things up, so too could news about cooperation by ISPs in this escalating fight.
After filing the lawsuits, the plaintiffs must subpoena ISP records in an effort to match IP addresses with illicit behavior on BitTorrent.
According to lawyers at Dunlap's firm, 75 percent of ISPs have cooperated fully. Those that have resisted are mostly doing so, they say, because of the amount of work involved in handing over thousands of names. But the clock may be ticking. For example, in the lawsuit over "Far Cry," Comcast has until next Wednesday to file motions to quash subpoenas. (Here's the stipulation by the parties.) By the end of next week, thousands of Comcast subscribers could be turned over.
Of the some 50,000 individuals who have been sued thus far, only three have tried to quash the subpoena. In one instance, a Georgia man tried to invoke the state's shield law protecting journalists from having to disclose their sources. The judge denied the motion. In another instance, a woman successfully got a court to throw out the subpoena because her IP address wasn't listed in the original complaint. Unfortunately for her, the complaint was then amended.
After unmasking individuals who have illegally downloaded films, the U.S. Copyright Group then sends a settlement offer.
Lawyers at the firm are seeing some returns on the first two lawsuits filed back in January. About 40 percent have settled, according to the U.S. Copyright Group. Those who haven't settled will be sent another round of settlement offers, and the group promises to eventually serve lawsuits on these individuals.
Since we first broke news about the litigation campaign, Dunlap says he's been besieged by e-mails from 20 to 30 independent film groups that have expressed frustration about rampant piracy and interest in joining up. The firm plans to send people to this month's Festival de Cannes, where they've already arranged meetings with a number of other film producers to discuss further lawsuits."
http://thresq.hollywoodreporter.com/2010/05/hurt-locker-producer-to-sue-pirates.html
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