Has your internet provider been subpoenaed to provide your identity in connection with alleged copyright infringement? Have you received threatening letters, calls, or emails from a law firm threatening to sue you for alleged infringements or peer to peer downloads? If so, you are not alone.
Some copyright content owners have recently embarked on a new, ultra-litigious copyright enforcement strategy, suing more than 200,000 alleged content pirates in the last year alone . These lawsuits attempt to capitalize on explicit threats of high statutory damages and fears of the high cost of legal defense to induce “settlements” on a mass scale. Although copyright owners would have you believe that you are liable regardless of the situation, the truth is more complex. You may have a perfectly valid defense. Better still, I may be able to accept your case on a reduced fee or pro-bono basis.* Call me for further details.
Copyright “Settlement” Letters, Fraud, and Misrepresentation
Some companies have taken this strategy a step further, and sent mass “pre-settlement” letters to IP addresses that were allegedly involved in copyright infringements. These letters demand immediate payment, often through payment sites like copyrightsettlements.com. These letters claim that if you do not “settle”, you will be sued for copyright infringement.
If you have received one of these letters, be extremely wary of any information that they give you about your rights or your guilt. These claims are misleading, and are designed to make you settle without asking any questions, as I discuss in my blog.
If you have already paid one of these settlements based on their incorrect statements of the law, you might be able to sue for your money back, treble damages and attorney fees. Call me to discuss your options.
For more information on copyright trolls and their tactics, visit the following excellent resources (who are probably unaware of this endorsement):
http://www.eff.org/issues/copyright-trolls
http://fightcopyrighttrolls.com/
http://torrentfreak.com/search/copyright+trolls
http://www.techdirt.com/blog/?tag=ip+addresses
http://fightcopyrighttrolls.com/
*This is not an offer to represent everyone in the world free of charge. Call me. If your circumstances meet certain designated criteria, I may choose to offer my services at a reduced or pro bono rate. Client would still be responsible for costs associated with litigation, should those costs arise.