In a weekend blitz, Malibu Media has filed 36 Bittorrent lawsuits in Illinois, New York, and Connecticut between July 20 and 24. Illinois alone accounted for 17 lawsuits, while there were 10 filed in New York and 9 in Connecticut.
Unfortunately, bulk filings like these are typical for the Plaintiff, with similar allegations for each suit. Despite similar filings, each suit is potentially worth thousands of dollars in damages. This year has seen an explosive growth in new suits filed from Malibu Media and there seems to be no sign of slowing.
The Plaintiff, Malibu Media, alleges specific IP addresses have been recorded downloading X-Art brand adult videos through Bittorrent activity. They use the IP address to identify the general location of the defendant, file a lawsuit, and subpoena the account’s internet service provider to provide the name of the account holder. If not immediately settled, the account holder’s name will become publicly available as part of the lawsuit.
The United States has seen a rise in this kind of litigation as more and more Plaintiffs learn how to monetize allegations of online copyright infringement.
The online nature of the alleged infringement presents a challenge to defendants wishing to put forth a full legal defense. Defendants often find the litigation more complicated, protracted, and expensive than a simple case of file-sharing would initially seem. However, these lawsuits shouldn’t be ignored as default judgments can easily be thousands of dollars in damages.
My firm has been representing defendants in these kinds of cases for almost 7 years. We have helped over 600 defendants through their cases while mitigating or avoiding the potential damage of a federal copyright lawsuit.
Defendants’ first notice of a case is usually a letter from their Internet Service Provider notifying them that the Plaintiff is seeking their identity. If the case is not resolved there, the Internet Service Provider will provide the Plaintiff with the identity of the account holder and the Defendant will receive a Summons to respond in Federal District court.
If you have received a notice in one of these cases, please don’t hesitate to call me immediately at 888.801.8681. If calling after-hours, please leave a message; I do return calls after-hours.
I have years of experience defending file-sharing lawsuits and can help you achieve the best outcome possible. I have defeated several copyright plaintiffs in lawsuits around the U.S.; I also fought Malibu Media in their first trial. I’ve represented over 600 defendants in both settling and litigating file-sharing lawsuits. I’ve written a subpoena defense guide for your information, as well.
I look forward to speaking with you and helping you put this matter behind you. Please don’t hesitate to call. 888.801.8681.
Yours,
Leonard French
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