Rightscorp Worried It's Not Perceived As Trollish Enough, Engages Law Firm To Enter Copyright Lawsuit Business
from the there's-always-money-under-the-bridge! dept
Well, this is a completely expected turn of events. Rightscorp, which has been unable to turn baseless threats and robocall harassment into a profitable revenue stream, will now be serving up some of its threats and harassment in lawsuit form.
Rightscorp just announced that it has partnered with the Massachusetts lawfirm Flynn Wirkus Young, who want to take repeated infringers to court.
According to Rightscorp CEO Christopher Sabec the lawsuits will focus on those users who ignore Rightscorp’s notices and settlement requests.
“Under this agreement, we will be forwarding data on internet subscribers who have been sent Rightscorp notices and who have not accepted rights holders’ offers of settlement.”
“Flynn Wirkus Young has already filed several cases based on our data and this partnership will greatly expand the number of cases filed,” he adds.
This move to another unproven business model actually began earlier this year. Rightscorp dipped its toes into the litigation waters (well, at least as a plaintiff…) with a lawsuit brought against Comcast subscribers on behalf of Rotten Records. Because Rightscorp has been very proactive in the demanding of subscriber information, it should at least have a few names to go with its IP addresses when it starts filing lawsuits.
Jordan Rushie, who has worked both sides of the copyright trolling arena (sometimes with Marc Randazza), is apparently the mouthpiece for Flynn Wirkus Young’s partnership with Rightscorp.
According to Rushie, Rightscorp’s notices have some effect. However, some of the most egregious copyright infringers need an extra push.
“Unfortunately, there are repeat infringers who do not get the message, even after Rightscorp sends them notices. They receive hundreds, and in some cases even thousands, of notices from Rightscorp.”
“We have found that the only way to deter some of the most notorious infringers is through litigation,” Rushie adds.
Maybe. Maybe not. Copyright trolling operations aren’t exactly sure things and they tend to have a very limited return on investment. And copyright trolling operations aren’t really in the “deterrence” business, as Rushie claims. They need infringement to continue in order to keep the settlement revenue stream open. While the content being allegedly infringed upon in these cases will be more palatable to judges, juries and general public than the porn offerings of Malibu Media and Omnishambles Law (a Prenda Holding), there’s been no evidence that filing multiple lawsuits results in the collection of significant damages.
In operations like these, a successful lawsuit isn’t the endgame. The filing of lawsuits is the ends and the means. And while Rightscorp may have some subscriber information to go with its IP address, the subscriber information is derived from the IP address, which only tenuously connects the person named in the lawsuit with the alleged infringement. But that tenuous connection is good enough for trolling operations, which would prefer to never actually set foot in court.
Filed Under: copyright troll, jordan rushie
Companies: flynn wirkus, righstcorp
Comments on “Rightscorp Worried It's Not Perceived As Trollish Enough, Engages Law Firm To Enter Copyright Lawsuit Business”
So this is like the Avengers Parody of the law firms or something? I mean, Rightscorp, Prenda and Malibu in the same ‘team’?
Now for added fun picture Zordon/Carreon speaking to the Law Rangers before they go fight… Windmills?
Barratry in Motion
No doubt this is about getting default judgements.
A significant percentage of the people they sue – probably in a court far away from where those people live – will ignore the lawsuits. Or they simply won’t be financially able to fight it.
And so Flynn Wirkus Young gets a default judgement, and proceeds to garnishee their wages, put liens on their property, etc.
Re: Barratry in Motion
Or they target the wrong person and someone finds out where their HQ is and goes over there with the intent to commit serious violent ‘revenge’……..
If you piss off enough people, 100% guarenteed somewhere you will hit the insane psychopath/sociopath who will come at you shotun blazing….
Re: Re: Barratry in Motion
Not in the real world. The person you piss off in Alabama or California won’t make the trip to your law office in Massachusetts, or will calm down by the time they get there.
Instead they’ll take it out on someone much closer, but that’s not your law firm’s concern.
Re: Barratry in Motion
Exactly so. Rule #1 of copyright trolling is to never go after someone able to fight back, so you can be sure if they do sue anyone, it will be someone multiple states away, or who is otherwise not in a position to show up to court or hire a lawyer several states over to do it for them.
They show up, defendant doesn’t, default judgement with no need to present their ‘evidence’ in a manner where it can be challenged.
What do you call trolls who hire a lawyers to help them troll?
Trollollawyers?
Re: What do you call trolls who hire a lawyers to help them troll?
Considering how the law firm is debasing itself, I think the proper term is “johns.”
Nope
This is likely more about avoiding being labelled a troll and having a successful countersuit filed against them on the basis they do not actually sue anyone and use the threat of lawsuits to extort money form people. They don’t expect to ge4t anywhere, its to avoid the company being milked dry and crashing down all at once.
The company itself is mostly a means to milk large corporations of money after all. Can’t do that if you are paying it all out to the peons after all!
Why the f#@%!!k do you get a notice in the first place?
If they are receiving enough notices to garner a lawsuit for their efforts they are beyond the pale. I cannot fathom why, in this day and age, anyone involved in repeat copyright infringement would leave themselves open to such abuse. Protection people, protection. Sheath that shaft.
This has been a public service announcement.