Innocent couple cited in ‘pirating’ screw-up
p2pnet news view Games | Freedom:- An IP address is a numeric tag for a computer or device on a TCP/IP network.
And that’s all it is.
But the Big 4 record labels, Vivendi Universal, EMI, Warner Music and Sony, and those who work for them, have managed to convince various technologically ignorant judges and members of the lamescream media that an IP address can be used to identify copyright infringers.
Now a Scots husband and wife have been wrongly accused by online scalp-hunter Logistep and UK corporate attack lawyers Davenport Lyons of stealing the Atari game Race 07.
“The Murdochs, aged 54 and 66, from Inverness, said they had never played a computer game in their lives and believe their internet IP address may have been hijacked by illegal downloaders,” says Metro.co.uk.
Offering victims a ’settlement’
Logistep has been accused of violating Switzerland’s telecommunication law.
And, German games software distributor Zuxxez is using Britain’s Davenport Lyons to mimick a ploy used by entertainment cartel enforcers to offer victims a ’settlement’ option, “with threats of huge fines if they don`t agree to the extortion,” said p2pnet last summer.
“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,” said Times Online.
Davenport Lyons 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,” said the story.
“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 [allegedly] distributed it using file-sharing networks.”
Heavy-handed tactics
In this most recent example of a law firm intimidating innocent people, “Ken and Gill Murdoch were tracked down by games company Atari for allegedly sharing Race 07 over the internet,” says Metro.co.uk, continuing Davenport Lyons, acting for Atari, ordered the couple to pay £500 compensation and £25 costs, “or face the threat of expensive legal proceedings”.
It adds »»»
The law firm has now dropped the case after consumer magazine Which? Computing intervened. ‘It’s outrageous that lawyers are falsely accusing people of illegally file-sharing,’ said Sarah Kidner, editor of the magazine.
‘They should cut out the heavy-handed tactics immediately.
‘However, consumers need to be aware of the dangers of having their computer address copied by hackers and take some basic steps to protect themselves.’
Davenport Lyons, meanwhile, continues unscathed.
Metro.co.uk – Innocent file sharers face £500 penalty, October 29, 2008
accused of violating – Logistep law-breaking anti-file-share maneuver, January 26, 2008
p2pnet – Online vigilantes after UK lawyer?, May 3, 3008
Times Online – Hundreds sued for sharing video games, August 17, 2008
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October 30th, 2008 at 11:54 am
I guess they never heard of spoofing either.
Anyone can use any one of 100’s of ways to hide their real identity.
Just for this post I used, high gain wifi antenna good for up to 20 km [pick any IP within this area at your leisure], rotating proxy, bounced connections, rotating local IP, rotating spoofed browser and OS, and few other tricks just to insure my privacy. I know for a fact just my wifi is bounced at least 3 times before solid IP. This means I can be up to 60 km, away from IP you have logged. See if you can find me … HAHAHA.
Many can take it as far as tapping into fiber and no-one will ever know.
The same can be used for anything done on internet.
99.99% of the time they get the wrong people.
For all private people I help similar is done for their privacy. Rogers, Bell, Telus and any other Mega corporation can do all their DPI tracking and logging they want and still not find their private communications.
The real criminals, big business who makes Trillions of bucks, can be traced to illegal activities in almost every case. If not then it’s been taken over by them. So why should all of us human beings pay for their illegal, immoral and unethical activities?
What I would like to see is a comprehensive study of corporate food chain in Canada and their background activities right back to day one. It’s right in front of us every day hidden in company names, their people, stocks, mergers, their language, deals, takeovers etc. Then post the sucker on one massive easy to use website.
I can guarantee it leads back to many countries outside of Canada, societies and people which most of us never even heard of. And you will be amazed as to how much they make, money power they hold and their many other hidden facts.
October 30th, 2008 at 12:04 pm
Let’s use Tor and IP addresses will become even more meaningless.
I am using Tor a lot unless I am doing something confidential.
October 30th, 2008 at 12:11 pm
I just downloaded Atari game Race 07. This is a stupid game by the way and I believe that it is not worth the space it’s take on my HD..
But now I am sharing it to bother the parasites. Try to sue me Atari if you dare to see what I am going to do then.
October 30th, 2008 at 12:15 pm
âHowever, consumers need to be aware of the dangers of having their computer address copied by hackers and take some basic steps to protect themselves.â
And How are we suposed to do that may I ask?
I believe that there is no way to prevent anyone to fake your IP address. One can just fake an IP address randomly that might hapen to be yours at any given time in dynamic IP addressing.
October 30th, 2008 at 1:17 pm
^^ But you can make sure your Wi-Fi router is secure. http://198.162.1.1
October 30th, 2008 at 2:36 pm
” But you can make sure your Wi-Fi router is secure. ”
Why would I wish to do that ?
I don’t share files, or use filesharing software other than bittorrent.
My last bittorrent DL was Crossover Pro ( free all day the 28th ).
Even though I don’t share files I can still be fraudulently sued.
It’s happened before with the RIAA.
I leave my wifi open so I have ANOTHER line of defense against a fraud lawsuit
like the RIAA perform.
To them it really doesn’t matter if you are guilty or not.
They will still try to make you pay.
October 30th, 2008 at 5:06 pm
I’m working on a new business plan.
The goal will be to somehow get millions of people to download my copyrighted files (content yet to be determined), then demand $750 per file from “infringers”. If they refuse to pay up, then I sue them into the ground, just to make an example out of them.
Does this sound like a winner?
October 30th, 2008 at 6:27 pm
Nah. It’ll never fly
October 31st, 2008 at 11:29 am
The latest word about this crap is that Logistep AG are being paid according to how many IP addresses of “downloaders” they supply! So it’s not in their interests to check in any way whether a given IP address was actually downloading anything or was just listed on a tracker or whatever.