Tweet
Tens of thousands of people have been sued in the US for illegally downloading movies, in a campaign that's reminiscent of efforts in the UK which have come under investigation.
The lawsuits have been instigated by the US Copyright Group, which itself learned the technique from Germany, also believed to the place where the UK law firms learned their trade.
Opponents of this approach says that because only IP addresses are used to identify downloaders, it isn't accurate enough to be used as prove of illegal download, as IP addresses can be spoofed, and it only identifies the connection that downloads, not the person. People who have had their wireless networks hijacked may be allowing illegal downloads to occur without their knowledge. Consumer groups are also unhappy with tactics used by these law firms, some of which take advantage of favourable copyright laws and use mass litigation as a way to quickly generate profits, targeting those most likely to cough up to avoid a court date. Firms in the UK have targeted people who download adult movies, for example.
These practices are already under investigation in the UK by legal authorities concerned about the deceptive practices of law firms involved, and the issue has been raised in the House of Lords in the UK, where Lords have criticized these mass litigations as "harassment, bullying and intrusion" and "legal blackmail".
More:
The lawsuits have been instigated by the US Copyright Group, which itself learned the technique from Germany, also believed to the place where the UK law firms learned their trade.
Opponents of this approach says that because only IP addresses are used to identify downloaders, it isn't accurate enough to be used as prove of illegal download, as IP addresses can be spoofed, and it only identifies the connection that downloads, not the person. People who have had their wireless networks hijacked may be allowing illegal downloads to occur without their knowledge. Consumer groups are also unhappy with tactics used by these law firms, some of which take advantage of favourable copyright laws and use mass litigation as a way to quickly generate profits, targeting those most likely to cough up to avoid a court date. Firms in the UK have targeted people who download adult movies, for example.
These practices are already under investigation in the UK by legal authorities concerned about the deceptive practices of law firms involved, and the issue has been raised in the House of Lords in the UK, where Lords have criticized these mass litigations as "harassment, bullying and intrusion" and "legal blackmail".
More:
Comment