In a country-wide effort to punish people accused of copyright infringement, a U.K. lawfirm is now targeting thousands of people accused of downloading and sharing both video games and adult pornographic content.
BBC recently published an article indicating German company DigiProject is mass mailing thousands of letters to people accused of downloading and sharing its different movie titles.
Along with a 20-page legal note that lists when and which movies were downloaded, recipient also get a letter demanding £500 or a possible court case.
Hundreds of accused have already contacted lawyers, with some individuals denying they downloaded any of the movies. If true, it seems like this is a solid -- yet controversial, and improper -- method to generate increased revenue. There are likely many people who would rather pay the £500 fine instead of dragging the case into court.
"It's the embarrassment factor," Lawdit solicitor Michael Coyle told BBC News. "One lady told us she fainted when she opened her letter. Teenagers right up to old-age pensioners have been accused of downloading hardcore porn. The overriding feeling is one of outrage.
A major problem with suing copyright infringers is that many people not committing copyright infringement are getting caught in the dragnet.
Davenport Lyons, the firm that previously worked with Atari and now is filing lawsuits seeking compensation due to porn movie sharing managed to once again accuse the wrong people of copyright infringement.
The 60-year-old couple reportedly downloaded a film dubbed Army F**kers, and promptly received a request for £503 or a legal case.
"We were offended by the title of the film," the couple said. "We don't do porn -- straight or gay -- and we can't do downloads. We have to ask our son even to do an iTunes purchase."
As the music, movie and video game industries continue to try and find ways to combat file sharing, more companies have started legal campaigns demanding compensation from file sharers.
