Hurt Locker P2P Lawsuit Ends, But Zombie Subpoenas Haunt Users
Hurt Locker P2P Lawsuit Ends, But Zombie Subpoenas Haunt Users
Posted 12/23/2011 at 4:08pm
| by Ryan Whitwam
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The movie studio the made the Best Picture-winning film “The Hurt Locker” made some waves nearly two years ago when it started filing mass lawsuits against people it claims pirated the film. The goal was to extort settlements from defendants, not to go to court. The case has come to an unsatisfying end for Voltage Pictures as it could not subpoena records fast enough to match names to IP addresses. Although the case is over, some individuals are still being harassed by lawyers for Voltage.
Nearly 25,000 people were sued, but Voltage Pictures only had IP addresses to go on. After multiple delays in getting ISPs to comply with subpoenas and divulge personal details, the case was dropped this month. Some users are still receiving notices that Voltage Pictures is seeking their records despite there being no pending case. Some of those affected were not even included in the original case. Several lawyers asked about the situation called the actions of Voltage Picture’s lawyers unethical.
Mass lawsuits are by no means over, with many still pending in courts across the country. However, it’s not turning out to be the quick buck that copyright holders were hoping for.
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knighttoday
December 28, 2011 at 5:09pm
Ever since I first saw this story I have avoided that particular film as well as anything made by that studio. I fully understand the whole 'pirating' issue but bottom line is you screw with the consumer too much or badly enough and the consumer can screw right back. Take note Voltage, your shit does stink and the world will do fine without your 'creativity'.
Ghok
December 26, 2011 at 6:52pm
Funny how I'm always going to think of this movie not as an award winning film, but as that movie that a bunch of people got sued over.
ashinms
December 23, 2011 at 6:28pm
Know what the harassing bastards deserve? they should file a massive harassment lawsuit against voltage. all 25000 of them. that'd be kinda hard to fight against...
RaptorJohnson
December 25, 2011 at 5:14pm
They (the harrassing bastards) also deserved to recieve payment from people who watched the movie they produced. None of the downloaders did their downloading by accident and it was not as though they were stealing bread to feed starving children.
kris79
December 27, 2011 at 8:40am
Anyone bothered by the ruling that Lawyers can't sue on behalf of themselves and instead must sue on the behalf of the injured party under due contract? Rogue lawyers will press this by scaring the uninformed - even if it's illegal. Hence, they make money.
Also take a look at this if you'd like to see the ruling about mass lawsuits based on torrent downloads - http://torrentlawyer.wordpress.com/2011/07/15/improper-joinder-for-bittorrent-swarms-sued-together/
See your judges in action for the RIAA here: http://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/03/29/2124224/riaa-lobbyist-becomes-federal-judge-rules-on-file-sharing-cases.
These questionable and even illegal operations occur on behalf of RIAA in numbers almost too great to follow.
This greater injustice affects ALL of us rather than some folks in Hollywood or the swashbuckling torrent pirates. If you think that you are immune from these rulings because you don't download illegal content, you will, no doubt, become more educated in the years to come. When will these intellectual zombies, who fall on the uneven side of RIAA ET. AL., get angry?
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