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Malibu Media Files 5 More File Sharing Lawsuits in Virginia

Reddit user /u/beardfearer may fear beards, but not copyright noticesIn just one day, Malibu Media filed another 5 BitTorrent-based lawsuits in Virginia. This has been a record breaking year for the company, as they have filed more than 1,000 copyright infringement lawsuits across the country. Almost 80 of those lawsuits have been in Virginia, averaging more than a lawsuit per week!

Malibu Media claims to hire overseas investigators that monitor BitTorrent activity and record any IP addresses that allegedly download or share the X-art brand adult films. The Plaintiff then sues the IP address as a “John Doe” and requests the court issue a subpoena to the Internet Service Provider (ISP) so the subscriber can be identified and served with the complaint.

Often, a defendant first discovers the lawsuit when they receive a letter from their ISP notifying them of the subpoena and the possibility to file a motion to quash. It is important to begin an effective defense at this stage. Securing representation early can provide you with more options to protect your identity and fight the allegations.

Although each lawsuit is similar, every case represents potentially thousands of dollars in damages per infringement if not properly defended against. These companies invest money into each case and hope to maximize the damages for their financial benefit. These notices are serious. If you do not respond, the ISP is obligated to provide your identity to the Plaintiff, which allows them to serve you with a summons and complaint. Once you are served, you typically have 21 days to respond in Federal court.

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Malibu Media Files 9 More BitTorrent Lawsuits in Maryland

Reddit user /u/beardfearer may fear beards, but not copyright noticesIn just one day, Malibu Media filed another 9 BitTorrent-based lawsuits in Maryland. This has been a record breaking year for the company. In Maryland alone, they have filed almost 100 file-sharing lawsuits. They are a notorious for these cases, filing more than 1,000 lawsuits across the country this year alone.

They claim to hire overseas investigators to monitor BitTorrent activity and record any IP addresses that allegedly download or share their adult films, marketed under the X-Art brand. The Plaintiff then sues the IP address as a “John Doe” and gets a subpoena to force the Internet Service Provider (ISP) to reveal the subscriber associated with that IP address. Once they have an identity, they will name the subscriber and try to serve them with the lawsuit. Importantly, the subscriber may not even be the one to download the films.

Often, a defendant first discovers the lawsuit when they receive a letter from their ISP notifying them of the subpoena and the possibility to file a motion to quash to stop the release of their identity. It is important to begin an effective defense at this stage. Securing representation early can provide you with more options to protect your identity and how to fight the allegations.

Although each lawsuit is similar, every case represents potentially thousands of dollars in damages per infringement if not properly defended against. These companies invest money into each case and hope to maximize the damages for their financial benefit. These notices are serious. If you do not respond, the ISP is obligated to provide your identity to the Plaintiff, which allows them to serve you with a summons and complaint. Once you are served, you typically have 21 days to respond in Federal court.

[Read more…] about Malibu Media Files 9 More BitTorrent Lawsuits in Maryland

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Michigan Hit with 37 New File Sharing Lawsuits by Malibu Media and Strike 3 Holdings

Reddit user /u/beardfearer may fear beards, but not copyright noticesMalibu Media and Strike 3 Holdings have filed 37 new lawsuits in Michigan, adding up to more than 300 file-sharing lawsuits filed in Michigan in 2018. In December alone, Malibu Media has filed 10 lawsuits and Strike 3 Holdings has filed 27. Both companies are notorious for these copyright lawsuits against internet subscribers whose IP addresses were allegedly observed downloading and sharing the Plaintiffs’ films through BitTorrent.

Strike 3 Holdings owns the rights to Vixen, Tushy, Blacked, and Blacked Raw while Malibu Media owns the rights to X-Art. Although different companies, they operate similarly. They hire overseas investigators to monitor BitTorrent activity and record any IP addresses observed sharing the Plaintiffs’ films. The Plaintiff then sues the IP address as a “John Doe” and requests a court subpoena to force the Internet Service Provider (ISP) to provide the identity of the subscriber. They then name the subscriber as the defendant, whether or not the subscriber was the one to download the films.

Usually the defendant first finds out about the lawsuit when they receive a notice from their ISP about the subpoena and the need to file a motion to quash to stop it. It is important to begin an effective defense at this stage. Securing representation early can provide you with more options to protect your identity and how to fight the allegations.

Although each lawsuit by these Plaintiffs is similar, every case represents potentially thousands of dollars in damages per infringement if not properly defended against. These companies invest money into each case and hope to maximize the damages for their financial benefit. These notices are serious. If you do not respond, the ISP is obligated to provide your identity to the Plaintiff, which allows them to serve you with a summons and complaint. Once you are served, you typically have 21 days to respond in Federal court.

[Read more…] about Michigan Hit with 37 New File Sharing Lawsuits by Malibu Media and Strike 3 Holdings