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Canadian File Sharing Plaintiff Admits To Copyright Trolling
An anonymous reader writes "Canipre, a
Montreal-based intellectual property rights enforcement firm, has
admitted
that it is behind the Voltage file sharing lawsuits involving
TekSavvy in what is described as a 'speculative invoicing' scheme.
Often referred to as copyright trolling, speculative invoicing
involves sending hundreds or thousands of demand letters alleging
copyright infringement and seeking thousands of dollars in
compensation. Those cases rarely — if ever — go to court as the
intent is simply to scare enough people into settling in order to
generate a profit. The Canipre
admission is important because it is consistent with
arguments that the case involves copyright trolling and that the
Canadian Federal Court should not support the scheme by ordering
the disclosure of subscriber contact information."
Is there a legal requirement to give your real name when signing up with internet, cable, or landline phone service? As far as I can tell, they don't confirm the information you give to them and I don't think there is a law saying you must use your real name. It would be a great way to defend from copyright trolls. Oh you are suing Jack Smith at 123 Main St? Sorry there is no Jack Smith living here. *Process server leaves* I guess they could subpoena the electric or gas company after that, but if those guys have a backbone, they will not give this information away and a judge probably wouldn't force them to without cause. Even then, you could give a psuedonymn to your utilities and they probably won't care as long as you're paying the bills.
Really, the only reason companies want your name and DOB is for debt collection and credit check. Generally, you can avoid the credit inquiry by giving them a deposit. They don't give a shit who lives where as long as they get paid.
It will be worse when Canada shows it servitude to the US even more by ratifying ACTA, Bill C-56 is just paves the way.
The problem is the First-Past-The-Post election system. If you say that General B'weto received less than 40% of the votes in the Republic of Masuto, but rules with absolute power, this person will be called a dictator. Now look at Canada's latest election results. Yes. The Ruler received just under 40% of the votes. Less than 4-in-10 voters gave their support. But the rule with absolute majority.
Even the senate is a joke: members are appointed by the PM for life. There is no balance there, either.