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posted by takyon on Tuesday July 28 2015, @07:50AM   Printer-friendly
from the impartial-jury dept.

Prenda Law is gone, and today it's a legit porno company, Malibu Media, that files more copyright lawsuits than anyone else. Malibu sues thousands of people for downloading the company's content via BitTorrent, then asks for settlements reportedly in the several-thousand-dollar range.

The antics of Malibu and other "copyright trolls" are often documented on two pseudonymous troll-fighting blogs, FightCopyrightTrolls and DieTrollDie.

Now that Malibu has a case where a defendant is insisting on his right to have his case heard by a jury, it really doesn't want those blogs coming up at trial. Malibu's attorney Keith Lipscomb has asked (PDF) the judge in the case to ban "inappropriate references to blogs" during the copyright infringement trial, seeking $150,000 in damages from Indiana resident Michael Harrison.

"The Court should preclude Defendant from referring to copyleft blogs for any purpose, including specifically references to fightcopyrightrolls.com and dietrolldie.com," writes Lipscomb in the motion, filed earlier this week. "The blogs target Plaintiff and its counsel with vitriolic hate speech and contain comments that are biased, slanderous, and prejudicial, and should not be referred to at trial for any purpose."

In a footnote, Lipscomb explains "copyleft" for the judge, writing: "Copyleft is the polite way of describing an anti-copyright ideology. 'Freetards' is the degrading equivalent of 'copyright trolls' when used in association with copyright producers."

A gray-market company seeks the cover of law. Any 'Freetards' care to comment?


Original Submission

Related Stories

State Board Moves to Sanction Prenda Lawyer 17 comments

The Prenda Law porn copyright troll saga continues.

John Steele and Paul Hansmeier formed a law firm which concentrated on copyright matters, which is to say, they sued John Does and sometimes individuals for allegedly downloading or sharing copyrighted pornographic videos. Steele Hansmeier became Prenda Law, which was succeeded by Hansmeier's Alpha Law Firm. More recently, Paul Hansmeier's law firm Class Justice has been suing small businesses for allegedly illegally discriminating against disabled people.

Now the Minnesota Lawyers Professional Responsibility Board has petitioned the Minnesota Supreme Court to disbar or suspend Hansmeier for his antics. The 43-page petition (PDF) is an eye-opener about Prenda's tactics, and the growing impatience of judges with them.

Previous related stories:
Prenda-Linked Copyright Trolling Lawyer Paul Duffy Dead at Age 55
Porn Studio Asks Judge to Ban Talk About "Copyleft" Blogs at Trial
Appeals Court: Shell Game Over, Prenda Law Must Pay Sanctions in Full

This story is also being covered by Techdirt.


Original Submission

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  • (Score: 5, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 28 2015, @08:23AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 28 2015, @08:23AM (#214752)

    OK, let me just say this: porn is not a legitimate product. At all. It is only a handicap for the sexually handicapped. And as that it is a medical prothesis, it ought to be free, and covered by Medicare. Or else it is just a bunch of tittilation and ought to be mercilessly copied and posted all over the internet, just to embarrass Christians and Republicans and AI Ex Machina types. Am I clear? You all are either sexually dysfunctional, or even worse attempting to make money off others sexually dysfunction. So all I could say, is fuck you all, but I can't, since some of you would get off on it, and others would try to charge money for it.

    • (Score: 2, Redundant) by aristarchus on Tuesday July 28 2015, @08:25AM

      by aristarchus (2645) on Tuesday July 28 2015, @08:25AM (#214755) Journal

      Rarely do we have such insightful commentary here on SoylentNews in regards to the naughty bits. Just saying.

      • (Score: 1, Redundant) by c0lo on Tuesday July 28 2015, @08:42AM

        by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Tuesday July 28 2015, @08:42AM (#214762) Journal

        Rarely do we have such insightful commentary here on SoylentNews in regards to the naughty bits.

        What the hell is "naughty bits"? What?!... Ah, I seem to remember something; eh, kido, so looong ago...

        (is it clear now why?)

        --
        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 28 2015, @09:39AM

          by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 28 2015, @09:39AM (#214776)

          Remember, something, long ago? Missing the Brit slang, eh, amigo? Viva la Libre Porno!

        • (Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 28 2015, @12:11PM

          by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 28 2015, @12:11PM (#214806)

          Naughty bits are the tingly parts found in your no-no square.

          • (Score: 2) by davester666 on Wednesday July 29 2015, @08:22AM

            by davester666 (155) on Wednesday July 29 2015, @08:22AM (#215332)

            There's something wrong if your area is "square".

            See a doctor. Or become a porn actor.

        • (Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 28 2015, @03:03PM

          by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 28 2015, @03:03PM (#214868)

          Isn't it obvious? Naught is an alternative name for zero. Therefore a naughty bit is a zero bit. For example, ASCII sex has eleven naughty bits. :-)

    • (Score: 2) by FatPhil on Tuesday July 28 2015, @08:48AM

      by FatPhil (863) <pc-soylentNO@SPAMasdf.fi> on Tuesday July 28 2015, @08:48AM (#214765) Homepage
      I think you're getting your medical advice from the wrong type of doctor!

      Anyway, are you saying that I can just nick the Rubens paintings from the Rijksmuseum, as to someone like me those BBWs are good old-fashined wrist-exercise, and therefore covered by my social security contributions?
      --
      Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 28 2015, @02:55PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 28 2015, @02:55PM (#214860)

      And as that it is a medical prothesis, it ought to be free, and covered by Medicare.

      Would it be prescription-only? Would those with severe sexual problems also get hooker prescriptions?

    • (Score: 2) by DeathMonkey on Tuesday July 28 2015, @05:55PM

      by DeathMonkey (1380) on Tuesday July 28 2015, @05:55PM (#214963) Journal

      I'm as much for copyright reform as the next guy but I don't recall the "except if they are naked" provision in the Copyright Act.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 28 2015, @08:44PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 28 2015, @08:44PM (#215041)

        Copyright was made to be ignored.

        Besides, you don't think suing thousands of people for thousands of dollars each and demanding settlements when they have almost no actual evidence is scummy behavior?

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 28 2015, @08:52PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 28 2015, @08:52PM (#215046)

      Of course porn is a legitimate product. Don't blame others because YOU paid for it, suckah.

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 28 2015, @08:48AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 28 2015, @08:48AM (#214764)

    Don't you understand your alleged counterculture has become mainstream already?? Why aren't you exploring another frontier by now?! You're all a bunch of conformist morons!!

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 28 2015, @09:48AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 28 2015, @09:48AM (#214777)

      You can get your thirty pieces of silver now.

  • (Score: 2, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 28 2015, @11:32AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 28 2015, @11:32AM (#214797)
    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 28 2015, @12:57PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 28 2015, @12:57PM (#214820)

      Perhaps the FSF could sue Malibu Media for libel.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday July 29 2015, @01:55AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday July 29 2015, @01:55AM (#215182)

      Copyleft is meaningless with copyright.

      Copyleft says "I grant you an addition right to freely redistribute this work under these terms I have specified".

      -You- can only apply Copyleft to a work to which -you- hold copyright.
      The word has no bearing on this case.

      .
      As for "freetards", that is the diametric opposite of "copyright trolls".
      One wants everything to be gratis and the other wants everything to be "intellectual property" eternally and specifically claims right to which he is not entitled.

      Now, "anti-copyright advocate" would apply to each of the sites.
      Again, this is something that has no bearing on the case.

      Clearly, the plaintiff's lawyer has used words he doesn't understand--or he is purposely trying to bullshit the judge using non-applicable jargon.

      I'm hoping that the judge takes the opportunity to metaphorically slap the living shit out of a party that has submitted a document that is full of shit.

      -- gewg_

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday July 29 2015, @02:00AM

        by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday July 29 2015, @02:00AM (#215187)

        meaningless withOUT copyright.

        -- gewg_

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 28 2015, @12:54PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 28 2015, @12:54PM (#214817)

    These types of motions in limited are filed as a matter of course. The blogs have no bearing on the case. Being a troll, or not, has no relevance on whether there was an infringement.

    Mind you, I don't agree with the trolls or the copyright laws by any stretch, but in court, those blogs have no significance to this case. The same would be true of the Defendant were a nazi party member and filed a motion.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday July 29 2015, @02:35AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday July 29 2015, @02:35AM (#215196)

      The blogs have no bearing on the case.

      You need to look into their intent. Some of these sites listed have thoroughly tracked and recorded the abuses and courtroom failures of Prenda Law and its partners.

      This motion is equivalent to saying "Yes judge, we know our defendant has been arrested for sexual assault fourteen times and has been found guilty of rape twice, then legally changed his name to Malibu Media in a poor attempt to make a new identity, but the jury does not need to know about that in determining if he has a history of sexual crimes."