BitTorrent

Major Book Publisher Files Mass-BitTorrent Lawsuit

Lindsy Embree — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 07:53:32 -0400

Full article: Torrent Freak
John Wiley and Sons, one of the world's largest book publishers, have sued 27 BitTorrent users at a federal court in New York. The publisher claims that the defendants have shared copies of its "For Dummies" books without permission, and demands compensation. After several movie studios started filing lawsuits against BitTorrent users last year, Wiley is the first book publisher to take this kind of action.

'Copyright Trolls' Unite to Prevent Downfall of BitTorrent Lawsuits

Lindsy Embree — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 10:25:24 -0400

Full article: TorrentFreak
A pivotal case that could mean the end of many mass-BitTorrent lawsuits is currently ongoing in a Virginia federal court. Labeling the pay-up-or-else scheme as a "shake down," the judge wants to know why he should allow copyright holders to massively coerce people into paying huge cash settlements. Realizing the importance of the case, a fellow anti-piracy law firm has now joined in to protect its livelihood.

Undercover Cops and Politicians Escape BitTorrent Lawsuits

Lindsy Embree — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 10:25:32 -0400

Full article: TorrentFreak
Court papers filed in one of the mass-lawsuits against BitTorrent users reveal some interesting facts. In an attempt to justify suing dozens of people at once, the attorney claims that this is a practical issue. Apparently the copyright holder has decided to throw out a lot of cases, because the defendants have died, are political or public figures, employed by the army, or part of a covert police operation.

The Economics of Killing Mass-BitTorrent Lawsuits

Lindsy Embree — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 10:45:58 -0400

Full article: TorrentFreak
Allan Gregory
While mass settlement lawsuits filed against alleged BitTorrent users have the potential to bring in millions in revenue, recent rulings in U.S. District courts are going to severely cut into potential profits. Has the tide turned? It looks like a distinct possibility.

BitTorrent Users Don't 'Act in Concert,' So Judge Slashes Mass P2P Case

Lindsy Embree — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 09:20:13 -0400

Full article: Ars Technica
Nate Anderson
Steele Hansmeier, the antipiracy law firm that has been routinely hammered by judges in Illinois, is now getting hammered by judges in California. The firm has tried desperately to head off all the common objections to its mass file-sharing lawsuits over online porn, and has even taken to geolocating IP addresses before filing a lawsuit; its Hard Drive Productions case in California only went after 188 IP addresses that appeared to be located in the state. But the firm still had its entire case severed down to a single defendant last week.

Nude Nuns Mass BitTorrent Lawsuit Killed, Clone Lives On

Lindsy Embree — Wed, 25 May 2011 10:19:27 -0400

Full article: Wired
David Kravets
A California film company dropped its copyright infringement lawsuit against 5,865 BitTorrent users who allegedly downloaded the movie "Nude Nuns with Big Guns" between January and March of this year, but an identical lawsuit by a different company is ongoing for now.

Biggest BitTorrent Downloading Case in U.S. History Targets 23,000 Defendants

Lindsy Embree — Tue, 10 May 2011 11:08:06 -0400

Full article: Wired
David Kravets
At least 23,000 file sharers soon will likely get notified they are being sued for downloading the "Expendables" in what has become the single largest illegal-BitTorrent-downloading case in U.S. history.

Netflix Is Killing BitTorrent in the U.S.

Lindsy Embree — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 09:47:06 -0400

Full article: TorrentFreak
Movie piracy is not quite gone yet, but Netflix shows that people are willing to pay for access to movies online, even when plenty of pirated copies are available. The next step is to offer easy access to movies in the rest of the world, and get rid of the artificial delays in release dates.

'Nude Nuns' Judge Questions Mass BitTorrent Lawsuit

Lindsy Embree — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 09:53:11 -0400

Full article: Wired
Kevin Poulsen
A federal judge wants a Los Angeles film company to explain why it's targeting nearly 6,000 John Doe defendants around the country in a single lawsuit for torrenting the 2010 B-movie revenge flick 'Nude Nuns With Big Guns.'

Paramount Movie World Premiere on BitTorrent: PR Stunt or the Future?

Lindsy Embree — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 08:51:10 -0400

Full article: Fast Company
Kit Eaton
The world premiere of Paramount Pictures "The Tunnel" will happen in a few months, but not in a theater -- it's going to be released on BitTorrent, for peer-to-peer distribution. That's the same tech video pirates utilize.