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Submitted via IRC for SoyCow8093
Internet provider Grande Communications is requesting assistance from U.S. Marshals to serve piracy tracking company IP-Echelon. As part of the RIAA lawsuit, the ISP wants to find out more about a scam where IP-Echelon's name was abused by scammers to extract payments. Thus far, however, it has been unable to reach the company at its Hollywood office.
They used the name of piracy-tracking firm IP-Echelon and several major copyright holders, including HBO, to demand settlements for allegedly pirated content.
The DMCA scam was pretty convincing. The emails lacked IP-Echelon’s PGP signature but were good enough to fool some Internet providers into forwarding them. If anything, it revealed that these type of notices should be carefully vetted.
While we haven’t seen any reports of these fraudulent notices since, Internet provider Grande Communications has taken an interest in the matter, in preparation for its piracy liability case against the RIAA.
This case relies on DMCA notices sent by IP-Echelon competitor Rightscorp. The ISP is therefore eager to hear out IP-Echelon to find out more about the issue, noting that they received the scam emails as well.
“Grande has also received IP-Echelon infringement notices, which include both authenticated, PGP-signed infringement notices from IP-Echelon, as well as fake, non-PGP-signed notices which falsely claim to be from IP-Echelon,” Grande informed the court late last week.
Source: https://torrentfreak.com/isp-wants-us-marshals-to-help-serve-piracy-tracking-outfit-180528/
(Score: 3, Insightful) by frojack on Saturday June 02 2018, @05:06PM (3 children)
I kinda think not.
Its a private issue. They should not get to use the forces of the US Government as a cudgel in their petty cat fight.
The story seems convoluted. But the ISP can clearly already distinguish between fake and real notices. Problem solved.
The ISP can do exactly like they have been telling their customers to do with spam and scam emails for decades: Delete them and move on.
Want to serve a summons, do what everybody else does, PAY the Sheriff's Department to serve them on a time available basis.
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
(Score: 1) by nitehawk214 on Saturday June 02 2018, @09:01PM
Maybe if the ISPs grew some balls and stood up to assholes like the dubiously named IP-Echelon, they wouldn't be in this mess in the first place.
"Don't you ever miss the days when you used to be nostalgic?" -Loiosh
(Score: 2) by sjames on Saturday June 02 2018, @09:09PM
Indeed, get government out of it, including the corporate charter granted by GOVERNMENT. Just pull it. There is no such thing as IP Echelon, just delete anything they send you.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday June 03 2018, @05:48AM
> Its a private issue. They should not get to use the forces of the US Government as a cudgel in their petty cat fight.
It's not a private issue. IP-Echelon is using the DMCA, i.e., the forces of the US Government, to threaten their business.
> The story seems convoluted. But the ISP can clearly already distinguish between fake and real notices. Problem solved.
I can also clearly distinguish a fake invoice I receive in my mail. Doesn't mean that I will be able to do it 100% of the time, or that I won't think that one of the legitimate invoices is fake. Criminal fraud is a thing for a reason.
They better be 120% sure that fake notices are actually fake. If they accidentally ignore a real notice, thinking it was fake, that excuse will not help them when the hammer of the federal government drops on their heads.