William Blackstone, British judge and legal scholar, wrote "better that ten guilty persons escape than that one innocent suffer."
One ACS: Law worker, noticing their employer's penchant for unjustly scrutinizing innocent people with threatening copyright infringement letters that demand payment in lieu of legal action, resigned - adding another layer to this already complex story.
BBC News reported on this latest blow to the embroiled firm over the weekend. And while the former ACS: Law employee wishes to remain anonymous, her identity is the only thing that's veiled.
"What I gradually became aware of was that some people were clearly not guilty," the unnamed woman explained. "Some of them were, for instance, old ladies who never downloaded files - they just didn't have security on their wireless connections. And some of the people ringing up came from pretty bad circumstances."
That falls in line with what ACS: Law is being accused of: bullying people into paying for copyrighted material they may or may not have downloaded illegally.
Going on what's being said by the ex-employee now and from the court hearing last week, the current case against ACS: Law is strong. The company, along with its business partner MediaCAT, shut down not ten days ago. However, the UK-based Federation Against Software Theft (FAST) says that ACS: Law's "antics" shouldn't obfuscate what's at the heart of the matter.
"The indignation about one or two law firm's antics is a distraction from the real issue," warned FAST's General Counsel, Julian Heathcote-Hobbins. "People should know that if they wish to 'lift' a product, it carries a risk and that is of being caught."
Unfortunate that innocents must pay the price for the guilty. Blackstone wouldn't approve.
The next hearing on the matter is scheduled for March 16th. Stay tuned for more news as it develops.
