Dream Pin 3D in P2P file sharing row. Again.
p2pnet news view | Games:- “German games software distributor Zuxxez (say it fast 
) is … using Britain’s Davenport Lyons” to mimick a ploy much favoured by entertainment cartel enforcers, the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) in particular, “even offering victims a ’settlement’ option with threats of huge fines if they don’t agree to the extortion,” said p2pnet last summer.
The company was firing out reams of these things and according to a recent Times Online post, “As many as 100 people suspected of illegally sharing computer game files over the internet are to be sued for copyright infringement, it emerged today. A London-based law firm said it would launch legal proceedings on behalf of the computer game publisher Topware Interactive after a woman was fined £16,000 for illegally sharing a pinball-themed game over the web.
“The woman, who has not been named, was forced to pay £6,000 of damages and £10,000 in costs to Topware after she was found to have uploaded the game Dream Pinball 3D to the internet and distributed it using file-sharing networks.”
The law firm was Davenport Lyons, which describes itself as a, ‘commercially focused law firm acting for businesses and entrepreneurial clients from a wide range of market sectors including entertainment, media, property, retail and banking,’ with ‘38 partners, 12 Associates and 50 other fee-earners,’ and boasts it’s, ‘grown to have one of the largest dedicated media, entertainment and leisure practices in London’.”
Nor is the first time it’s name has come up linked to Dream Pinball 3D.
Said another p2pnet story in April, 2007, “Lawyers [Davenport] trying to nail 500 file sharers for supposedly distributing illegal copies of Dream Pinball 3D have apparently accepted the `guilty` computers may have been under zombie control.”
But, said The Register, it won’t make any difference. The “alleged perpetrators will still be charged £300 on the assumption they were guilty of sharing the game over peer-to-peer networks.”
German games software distributor Zuxxez was behind the action and the company has sent a letter to alleged online distributors on behalf of games publisher Zuxxez saying, “Please note that it is possible that your IP address may have been used by a third party if you have an unsecured wireless connection or your computer security has been compromised, or if other people or children have access to the computer connected to the internet service provided by your ISP,” said The Register.
However, “The security of your computer and internet connection is your responsibility and you need to ensure that both are protected at all times with the most up to date anti-virus and firewall software, and ensure that any wireless router is properly encrypted, in order to be certain that your computer is not being used for unlawful purposes and without your knowledge or consent,” quoth Davenport, according to the story.
Will the RIAA now return the favour and use the Davenport ploy against sue `em all victims? – we wondered at the time.
Now the “hundreds” quoted by Times Online have risen to “thousands,” according to the Globe and Mail.
“Thousands of people suspected of sharing music, films and games over the Internet will be pursued through the courts for damages, lawyers for entertainment companies,” it says.
“London-based law firm Davenport Lyons said it will apply to the High Court to force Internet service providers to release the names and addresses of 7,000 suspected file-sharers.”
Interestingly, wqhen the Dream Pinball farce started in 2007, “a vigilante group has been formed, possibly by angry file-sharers, who are engaged in a campaign to reveal intimate details of Mr and Mrs Miller’s life, on the internet,” said TorrentFreak .
Brian Miller was (and who knows? maybe still is) is a partner focusing on intellectual property and information technology.
“Apparently he has received threats to reveal his wife’s private details including her place of work and contact numbers, their home addresses and private information regarding their parents,” said the story, adding:
“And it seems they aren’t going to stop there. In addition there are threats to reveal Mr Miller’s financial dealings at past employers and to have his directorships put under scrutiny. The threats were made by the previously unknown `Davenport Cats’ action group.”
Are the Davenport Cats still on the prowl, do you think?
Stay tuned.
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.Stumble It!
p2pnet – Online vigilantes after UK lawyer?, May 3, 3008
Times Online – Hundreds sued for sharing video games, August 17, 2008
p2pnet – Zombies are no excuse , April 17, 2007
The Register – P2P pinball lawyers say ignorance is no defense, April 17, 2007
p2pnet – Zuxxez goes off to file sharers, March 29, 2007
Globe and Mail -Thousands of file-sharers face legal action in Britain, August 20, 2008
TorrentFreak -Vigilante group threatens P2P lawsuit lawyer, May 2, 2007
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