It appears this weekend was just the beginning. Strike 3 Holdings has filed another 51 lawsuits across the country – 27 in California, 19 in New York, and 5 more in DC. This is in addition to 11 more filings by Malibu Media in Connecticut (11 lawsuits) and Pennsylvania (4 lawsuits). This continues to be a record breaking year for Strike 3 Holdings and Malibu Media as they file suits against IP addresses they claim contributed to Bittorrent downloading and sharing of their copyrighted adult films.
As the only identifier they have at first is an IP address, these are known as John Doe lawsuits. However, the defendants do not remain anonymous for long. The plaintiffs are quick to serve subpoenas to the Internet Service Provider associated with the IP address. The Internet Service Provider then required to reveal the name of the account holder if the case is not dismissed.
Defendants usually first learn they are being sued when they receive a letter from their ISP that informs the account holder they are being sued and that the plaintiff has requested their identity. If a defendant wishes to remain anonymous or not be named publicly, it is important they retain counsel without delay. If not defended against immediately, the Plaintiff will receive the account holder’s identity and send a Summons to respond in Federal District court.
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 to more complicated, protracted, and expensive than a simple case of file-sharing would initially seem.
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.
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