Sign up for a new account or log in here:
The US Copyright Group is after the blood of more than 23,000 people accused of illegally downloading the 2010 action film "The Expendables." A federal judge has authorized subpoenas forcing internet service providers to reveal the accountholders behind 23,322 IP addresses (PDF) caught downloading and sharing the movie -- that's up from 6,500 when the law firm initially filed the case in February.
Subpoenas are expected to be issued this week to basically every major US ISP, including AT&T, Charter, Comcast, Cox, Frontier, Optimum Online, Qwest, Time Warner, SBC, Sprint, Verizon and others. The accused should receive letters demanding a settlement fee shortly thereafter. It's unclear how much the Copyright Group will demand, but previous cases have requested up to $3,000.
This marks the largest BitTorrent downloading case in US history, with the second-largest case involving 15,551 filesharers for downloading pornographic films, but subpoenas haven't been approved in that case. The US Copyright Group has inspired other lawyers to use the same scare tactics and more than 140,000 BitTorrent users now being targeted in similar John Doe suits across the country.
This news comes only days after another US judge declined a subpoena request in a similar case (VPR Internationale v. Does 1-1017) involving a Canadian adult film company. Judge Harold Baker ruled that an IP address is not equivalent to a person, saying the infringer might be the accused subscriber, someone in the subscriber's household, a visitor, a neighbor, or even someone parked on the street.
On the other side of the pond, European regulators are considering implementing a Europe-wide firewall to censor "inappropriate" websites, including those involving the illegal download of copyrighted material. Meanwhile, UK ISP TalkTalk unveiled a new system today that will act similarly with the ability to block malware as well as restrict access to BitTorrent and other filesharing sites.
User Comments: 56
Got something to say? Post a comment-
Panic, no, we aren't arguing about HOW, we're arguing about IF they should be prosecuted. Look above me to what vela added... Like this is some right we should have because the technology exists to copy and movie studios have enough money to give you some.
[link]
Panic, if you received a letter in the mail saying 'please pay $3000 or you'll be prosecuted for say... drug dealing (something you KNOW you're not guilty of)' the first thing you'd think is it's a scam.
Now you're running on all cylinders! You dont suppose people would be upset or backlash against companies that scam thousands of people do you?
If i was contacted about piracy coming from my IP, i'd do what any normal innocent person would do and offer to completely help catch whoever it is, cooperate completely, and let them know I'm innocent, but I'd be happy to help in anyway i can.And I, for one, welcome our new insect overlords.
Are you seriously at the beck and call of anyone that wants to accuse you of a crime?
-
PanicX said:
And I, for one, welcome our new insect overlords.
Are you seriously at the beck and call of anyone that wants to accuse you of a crime?
I wish I could be there to see his face the moment he realized he was actually a huge hypocrite all along.
I'd take pictures.
-
welcome to the Digital Reign of Terror
-
If you are in a drive-in movie theater, watching a movie and you see someone outside of the drive-in property watching the movie, are they breaking the law...? Is the owner of the drive-in breaking the law...?
Copyright law suggest's that you can not make copies, or charge for viewing unless you are the owner, or have made an arangement with the owner, and/or pay royalties.
So if you download a movie, or stream a movie are you breaking the law...?
Seems to me the entity, or person hosting the movie, and providing it to anyone who cares to get it, would be in more danger than those who choose to view or download it.
-
Meh, I'm holding out to download "Rocky 12: Here, Hold My Walker Willya".......
-
This bullsh*t. Most ISPs can not reliably identify an ip address to the subscriber, period.
IP address is mapped to a MAC address of your firewall so if you change your firewall, you get a new IP address.
To the poster about not having to worry if FED is knocking on your door if you didnt do the stealing. It is very possible that you are taking the fall for a crime you didnt commit. after all, do you trust your ISP keeping accurate records to correctly identify the ip address. Not me!
Most Popular
| Trending | Featured |
-
GeForce GTX 780 Review: The Titan Descendant
-
OCZ Vertex 450 Review: Vector-like Performance For Less
-
Xbox One: Entertainment hub first, gaming console second - but can it disrupt TV?
-
Apple claims Samsung violates Siri patents with Google Now
-
Study suggests majority of Windows 8 users ignore Metro apps
Featured on Cases
Subscribe to TechSpot
Get free exclusive content, learn about new features and breaking tech news.