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New Prenda Law Shell Corp Threatening to Tell Your Neighbors You Pirated Porn
It appears that Prenda Law, freshly defeated, has formed a new shell company named the "Anti-Piracy Law Group," and has resumed sending threatening letters to supposed porn pirates. But this time, they've expanded their threats (from a letter (PDF) sent to Fight Copyright Trolls): "The list of possible suspects includes you, members of your household, your neighbors (if you maintain an open wi-fi connection) and anyone who might have visited your house. In the coming days we will contact these individuals to investigate whether they have any knowledge of the acts described in my client’s prior letter"
Naturally, the letter also notes that the recipient can avoid having the list of videos they supposedly copied sent to their neighbors and family if they settle for a few thousand bucks...
1. I am not ashamed to admit I watch porn.
2. Watching porn is something I do with the windows open so my asshole shithead neighbor across the street's wife can watch.
3. Yeah you asshole. Your wife likes to watch me stroke.
4. I am not ashamed to admit I watch porn.
-- Posted anonymously for obvious reasons.
This is black mail, and illegal.
=]
"The list of possible suspects includes you, members of your household, your neighbors (if you maintain an open wi-fi connection) and anyone who might have visited your house
So you just say it must have been a neighbour or visitor, ask them to add all the visitors to neighbours' houses, the post man, delivery men, etc. and let them get on with it. If they go to court quote their own words - it could have been any of these!
These guys might find themselves getting some pretty major smackdown from a court beyond what has already happened.
This is straight up extortion, and at this rate, I wouldn't be surprised to see someone slap them with RICO charges or something.
They don't have any evidence which can stand up in court, so they're resorting to smearing you in front of your family on the assertion that you must have violated a copyright they don't own.
If ever lawyers needed some sanctions from the court, it's these guys. Epic douchebags.
Lost at C:>. Found at C.
I'm sure they are perfectly aware that their claims are groundless and probably illegal. They're also aware that their lifespan is shrinking rapidly.
I think what they're doing is seeing how many poor schmucks they can scare into settling for a few quick bucks before the whole scheme implodes.
Clearly, SCO's "Linux Licensing" was a model modus operandi for trolls everywhere.
Scruting the inscrutable for over 50 years.
They can know I watch it, just as long as they aren't telling everyone I watch the wrong type.
another brony?
Just read the letter in the linked article. Reeks of troll. Typical Nigerian-type content: they refer to material stolen from their client, without naming either. Not who that client (presumably copyright holder) might be; nor what content was allegedly stolen. I'm seeing similar vaguely worded e-mails time and again - and most of them are Nigerian scams. They are also intentionally vague, trying to have the reader fill in the gaps (which people automatically do), and make the reader feel as if it's targeting them while it's really a standard letter sent to hundreds if not thousands of people.
If I'd receive such a letter, I'd probably just toss it in the trash, like I do with similar e-mails. They'd at least have to identify the alleged stolen content, and with that, who their client would be.
Or would it be possible to file a complaint with police, and have them initiate a criminal investigation? May be hard in practice for a single letter but if more people are targeted they may act on it.
Monty Python beat these guys by several decades: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrRZVCg31fE
From TFA:
infamous scumbag Steve “Lightspeed” Jones, a pornographer who specializes in “barely legal” genre (i.e. he recruits and films very young girls)
(emphasis theirs)
Now, by all means call him a scumbag on the basis of his extortion and blackmail. By all means find actual ways in which the way he produces porn is scummy.
But the "barely" in "barely legal" means they're above the age of consent, and hence not "very young". Indeed, since he's in the US, and they're (barely) legal, they must be 18 (2 years older than the age of consent in many countries), and capable of making their own decisions.
Hey, cut the Prenda guys some slack. They really need to earn some spending money, what with their upcoming dismissal from the bar and possible RICO prosecution...
Straight from copyright troll to racketeering? Impressive!
There is a war going on for your mind.
I watch porn. I enjoy adults performing a natural function. And I have no reason to pirate porn. LITERALLY a search engine away and you have streaming porn. I mean, You have to really enjoy a certain actor to go as far as pirating a video. And then, why not show that you enjoy their work by paying for it? And to those that don't think performing on screen while performing sex acts is work, I would disagree. While I personally have never done so, I can imagine it is quite uncomfortable at times. "Hey earl, Stop, stop, stop! You are doing it wrong, You see her face? She should be begging and you aren't performing like you should. Get out of the way, john, take earls place, he is terrible today." I know that would hurt on a professional and emotional level. >.>
Restore the madness of youth's lechery
Secretly?
For large sets, this will be our guide even unto death, for the LORD will work for each type of data it is applied to...
Right about now, I'm thinking. Up until now, everything they did was at least ostensibly legal, albeit unethical. This, however, is pretty much open and shut blackmail and extortion, both of which are federal crimes in the United States and nearly every other country in the world. In the U.S., a single letter like this is enough to qualify the sender for two separate federal charges with a maximum combined sentence of three years in federal prison, on top of various state and local charges that may also apply.
Check out my sci-fi/humor trilogy at PatriotsBooks.