Torrent Lawsuit Defense

Maryland

by

Malibu Media and Strike 3 Holdings File 140 More BitTorrent Lawsuits

Reddit user /u/beardfearer may fear beards, but not copyright noticesMalibu Media and Strike 3 Holdings continue to blanket the country in copyright lawsuits against John Doe internet subscribers they allege downloaded their copyrighted material through BitTorrent networks. September has already seen 83 lawsuits filed by Malibu Media and another 57 by Strike 3 Holdings. Malibu Media has filed 5 lawsuits in Connecticut, 8 in Maryland, 16 in Michigan, 11 in New Jersey, 22 in New York, 13 in Pennsylvania, 8 in Texas, and 8 in Virginia. During the same time period, Strike 3 Holdings filed 8 lawsuits in Connecticut, 6 in Florida, 9 in Illinois, 24 in Michigan, and 10 in New York.

Although Malibu Media and Strike 3 Holdings are separate companies that own separate brands (Malibu Media owns the rights to X-Art brand films and Strike 3 Holdings owns rights to Tushy, Vixen, Blacked, and Blacked Raw), the two Plaintiffs are very similar in their approach. They begin by identifying an IP address they claim participated in downloading and sharing of their films through Bittorrent and then sue the unnamed account holder as a John Doe. As they only have an IP address, they ask the courts to subpoena the defendant’s identity from the Internet Service Provider (ISP) so the defendant can be formally served.

[Read more…] about Malibu Media and Strike 3 Holdings File 140 More BitTorrent Lawsuits

by

More than 80 File Sharing Lawsuits Filed in the Past Week by Strike 3 Holdings and Malibu Media

Reddit user /u/beardfearer may fear beards, but not copyright noticesStrike 3 Holdings and Malibu Media have continued to sustain their record breaking pace of filing copyright infringement lawsuits. Combined, they filed more than 80 lawsuits in the past week. Malibu Media was particularly active, filing 12 lawsuits in Illinois, 3 in Michigan, 15 in New York, and 16 in Texas. Strike 3 Holdings filed an additional 9 lawsuits in Colorado, 4 in Illinois, 10 in Maryland, and 12 in Pennsylvania. In August, Malibu Media has filed more than 100 cases and Strike 3 Holdings has filed more than 300. Combined, they file more than a dozen lawsuits a day on average.

[Read more…] about More than 80 File Sharing Lawsuits Filed in the Past Week by Strike 3 Holdings and Malibu Media

by

Strike 3 Holdings and Malibu Media File More than 50 New Lawsuits

Reddit user /u/beardfearer may fear beards, but not copyright noticesStrike 3 Holdings and Malibu Media have filed another 54 lawsuits across the country against John Does, accusing them of downloading their adult films using Bittorrent. This brings the total to more than 340 lawsuits filed in August – averaging more than a dozen lawsuits every day. For this latest round, Strike 3 Holdings has filed 18 cases in California and 5 cases in Pennsylvania. Malibu Media filed another 10 cases in Maryland, 3 in Michigan, and 18 in New Jersey.

Normally, it would be extremely difficult to file hundreds of lawsuits against individuals in less than a month, however, Strike 3 Holdings and Malibu Media file nearly identical suits each time. They begin by identifying an IP address they claim participated in downloading and sharing of their films through Bittorrent and then sue the unnamed account holder as a John Doe. As they only have an IP address, they then ask the courts to subpoena the defendant’s identity from the Internet Service Provider so the defendant can be formally served.

Defendants usually first learn they are being sued when they receive a letter from their ISP that informs them the plaintiff has requested their identity. Because federal civil lawsuits are generally public record and easily searchable, many defendants wish to remain anonymous to minimize the suit’s affect on their private and professional lives. If a defendant wishes to remain anonymous, it is vital they retain counsel without delay.

[Read more…] about Strike 3 Holdings and Malibu Media File More than 50 New Lawsuits

by

Strike 3 Holdings and Malibu Media File Almost 100 New Lawsuits over 2 Days

Reddit user /u/beardfearer may fear beards, but not copyright noticesOn August 15 and 16, Strike 3 Holdings and Malibu Media filed a combined 93 lawsuits in addition to the 51 filed earlier this week. Strike 3 Holdings was responsible for the majority of the lawsuits, filing 19 in California, 7 in Nevada, 12 in Texas, 4 in Maryland, 25 in Michigan, 6 in New York, and 13 in Virginia. Malibu Media also filed 7 lawsuits in Virginia during the same time period.

It appears the record-breaking pace at which Strike 3 Holdings and Malibu Media file lawsuits is only speeding up. They are capable of filing such an extraordinary amount of lawsuits because each one is so similar. They begin by identifying an IP address they claim contributed to downloading and sharing of their copyrighted adult films through Bittorrent and then sue the unnamed account holder as a John Doe. As they only have an IP address, they then ask the courts to subpoena the defendant’s identity from the Internet Service Provider so the defendant can be formerly served.

Because federal civil lawsuits are generally public record, the resulting lawsuit is easily visible when doing online searches under the defendant’s name. This is understandably distressing for many defendants as this has the ability to impact them professionally and privately. The plaintiffs know that the potentially embarrassing nature of being accused of downloading adult films can create additional motivation for defendants to settle. [Read more…] about Strike 3 Holdings and Malibu Media File Almost 100 New Lawsuits over 2 Days

by

Maryland Hit by 10 New Bittorrent Lawsuits – This Time by Malibu Media

Reddit user /u/beardfearer may fear beards, but not copyright notices

Less than a month after Strike 3 Holdings filed 22 Bittorrent file sharing lawsuits in Maryland, Malibu Media has filed 10 more suits in just one day.

The Plaintiff, Malibu Media, alleges violations involving adult videos from the X-Art brand and are one of the most prolific copyright infringement plaintiffs. Typically, they monitor Bittorrent activity and track IP addresses of those alleged to download their copyrighted works. They then use the IP address to identify the general area of the defendant, file a lawsuit, and subpoena the internet service provider to provide the name of the account holder.

[Read more…] about Maryland Hit by 10 New Bittorrent Lawsuits – This Time by Malibu Media

by

Explosion in Strike 3 Holdings and Malibu Media Piracy Bittorrent Lawsuits Shows No Signs of Slowing

Reddit user /u/beardfearer may fear beards, but not copyright notices

In just 10 days, Strike 3 Holdings and Malibu Media have already filed 123 new copyright infringement lawsuits in just 6 states: Connecticut, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania.

These plaintiffs are known for suing IP addresses they allege used Bittorrent to illegally downloaded their movies, often with many infringements per IP 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.address.

Together, Strike 3 Holdings and Malibu Media have filed more than a dozen lawsuits a day across just 6 states.

[Read more…] about Explosion in Strike 3 Holdings and Malibu Media Piracy Bittorrent Lawsuits Shows No Signs of Slowing